Tonga Police training introduces high tech drones for multiple operations [1]
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 - 21:20
A week-long Drone Operator Training programme commenced yesterday, 20 February 2023 at the Tonga Police College, Longolongo.
Commissioner of Police, Shane McLennan in his key remarks acknowledged the Government of Tonga and the Prime Minister, Hon. Hu’akavameiliku who is also the Minister of Police and the Chairman of the Illicit Drugs Steering Committee for their ongoing support to Tonga Police in providing necessary technical equipment to help improve police operational capabilities.
“The intention of the training is to upskill our police officers on ways to operate a drone that was acquired through the Illicit Drugs Response Fund (IDRF) to support police operations.”
He said now that Tonga Police now has latest technology of its kind, procured through the IDRF, “this equipment will be useful for other police operations such as search and rescue, traffic control, and public order management”.
“Therefore, I would like to urge the participants to take this training seriously as it will assist Tonga Police in many ways,” said Commissioner McLennan.
The training is conducted by Daniel Morton from Frentech Commercial Arial Company, NZ. The training includes the care, basic maintenance, and setup of craft and payloads, safety considerations during the planning and in flight; how to effectively use software and sensor payloads to provide actionable intelligence/data.
A combination of theory and practical sessions will develop and build operators’ knowledge and skills.