West Midlands Police unveils new drone team as part of force reorganisation
West Midlands Police has launched its full-time Drone Team today.
As part of a restructure of local policing across the West Midlands the force has a dedicated drone team to fight crime.
The team tweeted: "It's official! - we have a drone team!
"After many years and milestones, today is a date to mark in WMP history. For a lucky few, this will no longer be an element of what they do but their full-time role."
They added: "As West Midlands Police moves into a new era, WMP Drones commits to providing air support to our colleagues so they can achieve their aims. Whether it's for Specialist Teams, Operations, Events, or for Local Policing Areas - we'll be assisting them from above. Making communities safer."
Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall will have more dedicated police officers working from today.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "From today we are changing the way we work, with more officers now dedicated to working locally in our communities across the West Midlands.
"A new local policing model will better serve communities across seven policing areas; Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
"Each local policing area (LPA) will be led by a Chief Superintendent commander who will understand the issues that matter to communities in their area and have greater control over how they use their resources to meet local needs better."
The spokesman added: "Response and investigation teams will now be based at the same local police hubs as neighbourhood officers, meaning they can work more closely together to prevent and solve crime and keep people safe. This means more officers spending more time understanding and preventing local problems as well as addressing the issues that really matter to communities."
