“When people fall into water, we need to get them out.”
Essex police use the latest technology in their work - including drone mapping.
Pix4D February 17, 2019
Every 90 seconds, a person is reported missing in the UK.
At least once a day, Essex police see a missing person case
which requires further investigation. While around 80% of missing persons are
found within a day, as many as 5% of cases remain unsolved.
The missing are diverse: they are elderly and children;
happily and unhappily married; alone in the world and with a wide support
network.
The missing are diverse, but the found often have something
in common: water.
Perran Bonner, Drone Manager and Operations Lead in Essex
police explains: “Many people are drawn to water. That’s irrespective of their
mental health, their age, anything like that - it’s just a natural pull. Quite
often people fall in and then get into difficulties - or perhaps they have
deliberately fallen in. Either way, we need to go and get them out.”
Essex has one of the longest coastlines in the country. Its
green fields are crossed with canals and rivers, and dotted with lakes and
ponds.
“In Essex in particular there’s an awful lot of mud here,”
continues Bonner. “People are regularly stuck in the mud.” Read More
