With an extensive 30-year career as a police officer, Simon’s current tasks include delivering the programme against the force’s strategy and reducing disruption across the rail sector.
He also leads on communication with aviation, risk and regulatory contractors, and oversees work on risk quantification and the safe and responsible implementation of a BVLOS capability for the police force.
Simon has been working on Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems since 2019, under the NPCC Counter Drones portfolio and as an embedded member of the Home Office Counter Drones Unit, and took on his current role in April 2025.
What fundamental problem were you trying to solve when developing the drone-in-a-box programme, and how did you prioritise early use cases such as trespass, obstruction, or cable theft?
Defining the problem space was a key activity as we sought to develop a BVLOS drone capability. We identified a number of use cases and prioritised trespass and disruption, because that actually covers most of the use cases anyway.
From there we identified that the drone-in-a-box solution is really well suited to covering our trespass and disruption hotspots.
What does success look like in the next 12 months for your team? Which metrics (e.g., reduction in delays, faster incident response, cost savings, officer time released) matter most?
All of those! We have done some benchmarking of benefits and once our drone-in-a-boxes start generating data we can look at benefits realisation.
We will identify a number of key metrics and how we can measure any benefits (which may be financial or time related for example), plus be able to articulate the benefits in using the drones to pro-actively patrol these locations.
BTP is the first UK force to routinely operate under State Aircraft BVLOS provisions. How did you build a legally robust, repeatable framework around that?
Yes, although other forces also have a similar capability, all operating slightly differently. But, we are
operating at a larger scale than anyone else.
The first step for us was to obtain legal advice, which gave us the basis to proceed – we were the
first force to do this and we shared the advice with our policing colleagues. The framework we use developed the force’s already mature drone operation and processes and is based around a ‘5 Towers model’: Leadership Governance and Capability Management, Risk Management, Competency Management, Fleet and Mission Systems Management, and Flight Operations Management.
Image courtesy of the British Transport Police
How closely does your operational model align to the UK CAA’s CAP3182 Future of Flight BVLOS Roadmap?
We work closely with our biggest partner, Network Rail. They are currently progressing a SORA application for drone-in-a-box based on our processes, technology and methodology, whereas we use State Aircraft exemptions.
We operate within regulation where possible, with an acceptance that some policing operations cannot be catered for by current regulation and that’s when we need to utilise State Aircraft exemptions, with an appropriate means by which the regulator can ensure these operations are safe.
How have you approached detect-and-avoid and airspace deconfliction, especially considering possible interactions with NPAS, HEMS, or other emergency aviation assets?
NPAS and HEMS are our biggest risk, given that we are effectively conducting all our drone-in-a-box operations in an Atypical Airspace Environment, below 200 feet.
To that end, we use existing policing technology to be aware of where and when both are operating. In addition, we are working closely with Dronecloud and Network Rail on a UTM system for the railway as well as others on a form of Electronic Conspicuity using novel sensors.
We have developed a means to use transponders on all our drone-in-a-box drones, which means we can be seen. Lastly, good communication with both our own and other users is essential!
What is your strategy for dealing with critical events like GNSS disruption, C2 link loss, or EMI around railway power infrastructure?
Having a background in Counter Drones, I know that there can be some disruption, although it is less than people think. Link loss is more common, particularly at lower levels around infrastructure, so we use a mesh network to increase signal reliability and the telephony network as a failsafe.
Image courtesy of the British Transport Police
Your remote operations centre at London Bridge is impressive. How do operators coordinate drone dispatch, mission approval, and real-time decision support from the control room?
Thank you! Our operations room has been built from scratch, with no real blueprint for using multiple drone-in-a-boxes.
What we have done is to ensure we can integrate with existing operations, based around our current drone capability, using the same processes.
How is live drone data fed into incident response workflows? Who sees what, and how does drone
footage accelerate on-scene decision-making?
As mentioned, we use existing processes, so there is no real change to the way of working for us. We can get imagery to key decision-makers across both the BTP and Network Rail, but clearly we need to make sure those decision-makers understand who is the key decision-maker in any incident. There is two-way communication with the pilots as well, so the drone can be re-directed as required.
What training and competency framework did you build for BVLOS operators?
We follow the NPCC guidance on training for pilots (which does include a BVLOS element), but have developed our own training for what we do as operating drone-in-a-box is uniquely different.
Image courtesy of the British Transport Police
Was there any resistance internally, and how did you help frontline officers trust an autonomous asset arriving ahead of them?
Communication is important, particularly getting across that we’re not replacing officers or taking away options to use the drones we have, that we’re simply focussing on our trespass and disruption hotspots.
We’re also managing expectations by communicating things like the locations we have the drone-in a-box, how far we can fly and how long the drone can be airborne.
We’re in a good place as most officers are now used to working with drones and this is just an
extension of that capability.
What privacy safeguards guide how you collect, store, review, and delete drone imagery captured
near stations, homes, or public spaces?
We have very strict rules relating to data and privacy, as you would expect. We only record incidents
if there is a policing purpose, operating with a pilot and a tactical flight officer, plus a supervisor, so
the safeguards are there. In addition, we record the room (mostly for safety reasons should an accident occur), but this adds to the level of professionalism we require.
How do you secure the box, the drone, and your communications channels against tampering, interference, or cyber threats?
All our equipment goes through a cyber-assurance process. It’s not about the imagery or necessarily the data, it is about unwarranted access to our wider systems. We have layered security for our hardware, not only to prevent damage or tampering, but to prevent accidents with uninvolved persons who may be nearby.
Image from Moonrock’s visit to BTP in 2026
How do you collaborate with Network Rail, TOCs/FOCs, and infrastructure partners to ensure seamless integration between policing, rail operations, and drone data flows?
This is a really good question. We have recently begun work on a Concept of Joint Operations, supported by both the BTP Chief Constable and the CEO of Network Rail. Here we’re looking at coordinating our drone efforts across rail, using each other’s assets and sharing drone imagery whether for infrastructure inspection or searching for trespassers. There is lots to do here and for us to look at, from a National Drone Flight Operations Room to a National Drone Response Team!
What does a scalable national deployment model look like in terms of infrastructure density, maintenance, operator staffing, and cost-effectiveness?
I think there has to be a limit to the number of assets we have, the real key to this is flexibility. The ability to move assets dependent on demand has to be the most cost-effective solution. The challenge is that our assets are adding value and that we can demonstrate the benefits!
What single enabler – technical, regulatory, or organisational – would most accelerate safe, scalable BVLOS policing in the UK? And how can industry partners best support that future?
I think the first enabler I would want is an agreed regulatory model that allows us to operate within regulation where we can, but where we need to we have a framework for the use of ‘State Aircraft’
exemptions to achieve policing objectives.
This in itself presents an opportunity for industry players to partner with policing or other agencies,
which would benefit the industry more widely.
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We need to keep an eye on what the NPCC is upto, there is plainly a power struggle between them and the CAA at the moment. The CAA clearly has a mandate to ensure the safety of all airspace users.
The NPCC seem to be using DJI Docks and Matrice, so there’s a data privacy flag right out of the box! (See what I did there). Chinese comms in the heart of control rooms. Paging Huawei, paging Huawei.
It was really Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Wiltshire, Philip Wilkinson who last week caught my attention, saying “Some of the most advanced drone systems are going to be built in Swindon, and that’s why I’m determined to have British drones for British police forces.”
He said that in the week of the canned Islington DFR trial. Perhaps Mr Wilkinson has news of a DJI factory opening up in Swindon?
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Drones as First Responder (DFR) programme is an initiative within the wider NPCC Drones Portfolio, focusing on leveraging technology to enhance public safety and police response. The DFR concept is essentially the deployment of remotely operated ‘drones in boxes’ from strategically located stations, primarily on rooftops, to arrive swiftly at the scene of an incident.
Superintendent Taryn Evans serves as the Strategic Lead for the NPCC Drones team and the Strategic Lead for UK Policing’s BVLOS Pathway Programme. She has been responsible for the national Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) programme for policing for just over a year as of June 2025.
The DFR concept was initially supported by a multi-million-pound scheme, announced by the former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, which proposed spending £230M rolling out time and money saving technology, including using drones as first responders.
The core objective of DFR is to provide near-immediate situational awareness directly into police control rooms, which can help commanders determine the best tools, tactics, and resources needed, often before officers arrive.
• Initial Simulation (Summer 2023): The first trial was led by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary (HIOWC) and Thames Valley Police (TVP) at the Isle of Wight Festival, where a simulated DFR capability was deployed alongside routine police drones.
This looks like a Herotech8 box, I am happy to be corrected.
• Project Eagle X (2024): This was cited as the first wide scale DFR trial in the UK, undertaken by Norfolk Police. Norwich was selected as an ideal test site because it currently has limited access to the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopters due to ‘proximity’.
• Norwich Demonstration (July/August 2024): A demonstration was held at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, where a drone housed in a rooftop box was deployed to search for a man playing the role of a missing person, beaming back real-time imagery to an officer in a nearby police van. Norfolk Police initially planned for up to five drone sites to cover the entire city.
• Expanding Trial Sites: The trials have explored “every combination and innovation in Drone in a Box technology” across four pioneering trial sites. These locations include Norwich, Southampton, the West Midlands, and Gravesend.
◦ Norwich focused primarily on drone safety, connectivity, and integrating drone parachutes.
◦ Southampton focused on integration with the Department for Transport’s Solent Future Transport Zone project, testing feeds from radar and other detection equipment to facilitate safe BVLOS use.
◦ Gravesend and the West Midlands focused on feeding DFR video into control rooms, linking it with systems like number plate recognition, and using DFR in motorway, public order, and firearms incidents.
• Operational Integration (2025): The British Transport Police (BTP) became the first police force to operationalise remote ‘drone in a box’ technology in May 2025. By July 2025, Cleveland Constabulary had become the fifth force to adopt DFR technology, building on the success of earlier sites in Norwich, Southampton, London, and Coventry.
The widespread expectation is that DFR drones will “assist with area searches, road incidents, issues in town centres, public order incidents and the night-time economy”. However, the project is expected to undergo another two or three years of trials and analysis before becoming an operational part of police kit across the country.
One of the four pioneering DFR trial sites, Southampton, focused specifically on testing radar and other detection equipment.
• The trials in Southampton were integrated with the Department for Transport’s Solent Future Transport Zone project.
• These trials involved testing feeds from radar and other aircraft and drone detection equipment that facilitate the safe use of BVLOS drones.
• The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary (HIOWC) and Thames Valley Police (TVP) collaboration utilized a mobile radar station.
• This mobile radar station involved the latest Sparrowhawk radar system installation, supported by the Sparrowhawk team and Chris Stagg.
Superintendent Taryn Evans has provided clarity on the DFR programme’s objectives and progress, emphasising its role in augmenting, rather than replacing, human officers.
On the purpose of DFR, Supt Evans stated:
“We don’t anticipate this replacing officers or the response they give to emergency calls in anyway whatsoever. What we do hope to see is that gives them enhanced advantage in working out how to respond to those same calls. It might be that there’s a risk there that wasn’t reported to us by the people that called in that we need to be aware of and we would send different units there to deal with that accordingly”.
Reflecting on the progress of the trials, she noted:
“The Norfolk trial is an important showcase of just how effective DFR can be at supporting our response to 999 calls, arriving on scene quickly and giving invaluable ‘eyes in the sky’”.
She further detailed the benefit of running multiple trials:
“Each trial enables us to test how DFR could work in different environments and support different operational purposes, enhancing both public and officer safety”.
In a June 2025 update, Supt Evans highlighted the advancements made, particularly how the DFR trials are becoming integrated into routine policing:
“Our DFR trials have gathered significant pace over the last year with each one testing out how we can best exploit the potential of drones to support policing and improve the safety of our communities. This latest trial shows how DFR integrates with ‘business as usual’ policing. The drone can be remotely deployed from the control room as a key resource in responding to incidents, supporting both community and officer safety”.
She also acknowledged the significant contributions of drone pilots to the programme’s success:
“None of it would be possible without our extended network of professional pilots who give their time and expertise freely, often in between long and tiring shifts, all because they want to see this technology embedded in policing with the purpose of protecting their communities and their colleagues”.
The use of drones by dedicated pilots resulted in high deployment numbers for a recent six-month period
(October 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025), which Supt Evans noted included:
• 26,584 deployments over 8,953 minutes.
• 721 suspects located.
• 649 missing people located.
• 163 vehicles located.
Supt Evans is focused on ensuring the adoption of this technology is safe, stating that the project is “working very closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Home Office to make sure that we have a safe operating model for beyond line of sight drone as a drone responder”
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SkyeBrowse and Paladin are proud to announce a strategic partnership delivering the first-ever real-time 3D modeling capability integrated directly into Drone as First Responder (DFR) workflows.
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