Hi-tech drone device to catch poachers on Cannock Chase

The hi-tech aerial camera, which is just two feet wide, is able to fly 800ft into the air while tracking down criminals who go hunting at the beauty spot.

Images are then sent in real-time back to a screen viewed by police officers on the ground, who are then able to locate the hunters who have no idea they are being tracked. Police and crime commissioner for the force, Matthew Ellis, says the £20,000 machine could save police a 'phenomenal' amount of money across the country.The device has already been used to catch two men from Stoke-On-Trent who were discovered on Cannock Chase with a deer carcass in their van.

"It's a fairly small, high-tech device which can take stills and video footage," said Mr Ellis.

"It was used fairly recently to catch poachers on Cannock Chase.

"It's almost entirely silent and certainly could be heard when it's in the air. It can't be heard from more than 50ft away.

"When it was used in the poachers incident, it pinpointed their whereabouts to the officers viewing a screen on the ground allowing the police to go directly to them without them knowing.

Police are keen to crack down on poachers at the site and earlier this month three men admitted charges of hunting a deer and hunting a rabbit with dogs at Cannock Chase.

Mr Ellis added: "The drone replaces a police helicopter in certain circumstances – and is far cheaper, as it runs on batteries."

Mr Ellis says the use of technology such as drones will form a key feature in his strategy for the future of policing in Staffordshire, to be released tomorrow. The plans will be open to public consultation for the next eight weeks.