West Midlands Police – which has a number of DJI drones supplied by Heliguy – captured the footage from a height of around 70 metres.
The footage offered a unique perspective of the climate change demonstration, which was staged earlier this month. The aerial view gave officers useful situational awareness of the campaigners’ movements and behaviour, as well as the flow of traffic, which was disrupted because of the protestors.
A statement on the West Midlands Police website said: “This new drone footage shows how we safely policed the Extinction Rebellion demonstration in Birmingham.
“Taken from a height of around 70m, the video shows how we balanced the public’s right to protest with the need to keep traffic moving around Belgrave Middleway.
“We’re pleased to say that the event passed off without issue, but appreciate some road users were delayed.
“We achieved our aim of keeping all members of the public safe, and, while there is an offence of obstructing the highway, our officers considered the full circumstances and the extent of the disruption when policing the event.
“If police had intervened further, there could have been far greater disruption and closure of the junction.
“In turn, the protesters agreed to our request to make way for a woman who was going into labour, and also to pause their demonstration when we said that there were large queues of traffic forming in the city centre.”
West Midlands Police added that the operation had been well-planned in advance, police had liaised with protesters and the local authority, and signs advised drivers of the demonstration in the days leading up to it.
Heliguy has supplied West Midlands Police with a number of DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise and Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual drones.
The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise is a lightweight drone, which is quickly deployable, easily transportable and comes with three key accessories – a spotlight, loudspeaker and beacon – which can greatly assist a range of missions. The drone also benefits from a 2x optical and 3x digital zoom camera, meaning the drone can operate without putting the operator in danger.
Following the launch of the Mavic 2 Enterprise, DJI released the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual, which comes with thermal capabilities.
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