As the devasting news broke, the Force was also acknowledging the success of their drones, having been deployed over 1300 times last year.
Lincolnshire World has followed their progress since just two drones were first introduced in Boston and Lincoln in 2017 at a cost of £25,000
Two years and 403 incidents.later, I joined a training operation in the remote location was along the sea bank between Leverton and Wrangle, where under normal circumstances many officers on foot would have been required to conduct the search and rescue.
The operation demonstrated the important role drones are now playing in saving lives and police time across Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire Police teamed up with the Coastguard and Derbyshire Police in three 'high risk' scenarios to prepare drone pilots for major incidents in which they may be required.
Scenarios included locating a man who had absconded with a firearm, a man who said he wanted to harm himself, and a person who had absconded with another person saying they were going to harm that person.
Under normal conditions, police drone pilots are only permitted to fly up to a maximum distance of 500m - but operators are permitted by the legislation to fly at extended distances under exceptional circumstances such as reacting to life at risk or major incidents.
On this occasion they were covering distances of up to a mile with the drones, which have the ability to zoom in on a rabbit in darkness from 400ft.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of this new skill, in 2022 Lincolnshire Police released footage of a drone used to help bring two burglars to justice.
The Force had handed out fines of more than £2,000 in the weeks prior to this after a police drone was used to track would-be burglars when the offenders attempted to break into a property near Spilsby.
The offenders made their way across open fields for over 15 minutes in an effort to escape the police, and the drone’s thermal imaging camera located and tracked them, while the drone pilot coordinated officers on the ground to the location ensuring the would-be burglars were detained.
In 2023, more dramatic drone footage was released of the moment officers ran into the freezing sea in Skegness at night to rescue a woman.
Neighbourhood Tasking Team officers were alerted by three asylum seekers who saw the woman walk into the water and were “a big part of helping to save the life of this woman”, police said.
“They even stayed afterwards to help carry the kit of our waterlogged officers. We are very grateful to them for their help and community spirit.”
The success of the drones continued into last year when Kev Taylor, Lincolnshire Police's Chief Drone Pilot described them as “the best bang for buck”
“There are people alive today who wouldn’t be today without drones – and also people in prison who wouldn’t be otherwise,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service at the time.
“Lincolnshire Police doesn’t have enough staff, and drones provide the best bang for buck of anything we have.
“We’re ahead of the game compared to many forces because it lets us be so cost-effective, and it also suits how rural Lincolnshire is.”
Portugese Policia on a visit to Lincolnshire in October last year agreed when they were given a demonstration near the beach.
Helder Lopes, is a senior constable and has been a police officer in Portugal for 25 years now said: “The biggest difference between UK and Portugal is equipment wise.”
He was particularly impressed with the passion of Lincolnshire’s officers to drive crime down working within their resources, adding: “Everyone works with caring to the public and I believe here in Skegness you have the best patrol officers. I have been with them and they are wonderful.”
The eyes in the sky were deployed around 1400 times in 2023, with the majority either missing persons or searches for suspects.
Now with just 28 trained officers to cover the county every day and night throughout the year the results show how dedicated and determined drone pilots are to provide an operational and responsive tactic to support policing in Lincolnshire.
Some of those deployments last year were for the following reasons:
294 searches for missing people
314 searches for suspects
138 live downlinks provided for operational commanders
81 firearms deployments supported
67 cannabis farms disrupted
46 events and operations
24 serious or fatal collision scenes
22 internal searches of buildings before officers entered
Operating a drone is an additional skill to an officers’ usual duties; it is not a full-time role.
Lincolnshire Police says there can be no doubt that the drone pilots have successfully used their drones to safeguard vulnerable people, in many cases saving lives, detaining offenders, ensuring safeguarding and swift justice for victims of crime.
Drones now routinely obtain complex evidential footage for major incidents, with an increasing demand following homicide and fatal collision investigations. The benefits to senior investigating officers are being revealed and include the extensive detail and different views that are available through this technology.
With their ever-expanding experience, our drone pilots are being used more than ever before. While often drones may not find anyone or anything in a search area, the fact they have quickly cleared an area allowing officers to focus elsewhere, saves hundreds of valuable officer hours.
Superintendent Pat Coates, Specialist Operations, said: “The leadership and coordination shown by our Chief Drone Pilot, Kev Taylor, means we now have a valuable tactical resource readily available to Commanders and Investigators 365 days a year. In addition, with our drone pilots going above and beyond to support operational policing with their drone skills, they are able to quickly locate missing people, suspects or evidence.
Traditionally we would rely on officers on foot to search large areas which would take hours and hours; we don’t have officers available for this often lifesaving work. Drone technology has developed at pace, and drones now play a vital role providing air support alongside NPAS helicopters which are a shared resource. Many of our deployments can now be achieved using drones which are flexible and offer really good value for money.
“With the huge increase in the use of drone technology we have experienced in the last few years, I’m delighted to welcome our new deputy Chief Drone Pilot Ian Steedman into the force. This is a vital and key role and will mean we can continue to support and increase this tactical option and maintain the skills and training of our pilots need to achieve and that our equipment is maintained and operated to the high standards that are required."
To see the work of the team follow them @LincsCOPter
of the team follow them @LincsCOPter

1. Police Drones
The Portugese officers were particularly interested in the use of drones to catch criminals in Lincolnshire. Photo: Chrissie Redford Photo: Chrissie Redford

2. Police Drones
Kev Taylor, Lincolnshire Police's Chief Drone Pilot Credit: LDRS Approved for use by all partners Photo: Credit: LDRS Approved for use by all partners

3. Police Drones
Lincolnshire Police drone pilots L-R Special Sargeant Kevin Taylor and Sargeant Kevin Taylor. EMN-170709-135804001 Photo: Lincs Police

4. Police Drones
Kev Taylor, Lincolnshire Police's Chief Drone Pilot Credit: LDRS Approved for use by all partners Photo: LDRS Approved for use by all partners