Moree, in the northwest of New South Wales, has become a trial ground for something new in Australian policing. There are now two drones sitting atop the local police station, ready to take flight at a moment’s notice, but there is a catch: they are being guided by pilots hundreds of kilometers away in Sydney. This marks the start of PolAir-rural, a six-month experiment that will discreetly alter the way police manage crime in rural areas.
Moree is almost 600 kilometers from Sydney and is a tiny regional hub of around 7100 people. It has a rather high prevalence of property crime, theft, and break-ins. The police picked Moree because, bluntly, locals were fed up with all of the crime, and traditional techniques were frequently falling short due to the distance from Sydney and limited resources. By January 2026, the first drones had arrived, and what a sight they were, mounted in a self-contained box on the station’s roof. They launch, fly, land, and recharge without assistance from anyone on-site.
Sale
DJI Neo, Mini Drone with 4K UHD Camera for Adults, 135g Self Flying Drone that Follows You, Palm Takeoff…
- Due to platform compatibility issue, the DJI Fly app has been removed from Google Play. DJI Neo must be activated in the DJI Fly App, to ensure a…
- Lightweight and Regulation Friendly – At just 135g, this drone with camera for adults 4K may be even lighter than your phone and does not require FAA…
- Palm Takeoff & Landing, Go Controller-Free [1] – Neo takes off from your hand with just a push of a button. The safe and easy operation of this drone…
The control room is located in Bankstown, and the pilots can view live video footage of where the drones are. The NSW police are thrilled to announce that this is the first time this has been done in Australia, and no operator is needed on site, as all of this is being done from a remote location hundreds of kilometers away. They are using DJI Matrice 4-TD drones equipped with cameras that transmit clear footage to the officers on site and in the control room.
These are only deployed when something serious is happening, like when there is a break-in and they can be deployed upwards to get a bird’s eye view of what is happening. They can also track stolen cars from the air, which helps in the recovery of the cars without the dangers involved in high-speed chases. Already, the system has been used to locate a few of stolen automobiles, including one stolen from a motel and driven away in the owner’s SUV. The drone was able to find the abandoned automobile near a river. When a bunch of criminals stole not one, but two cars from an old couple’s home, the police deployed the drone to provide overhead support, and days later they were able to retrieve both vehicles and arrest the perpetrators.
They’ve even been used in fires, detecting blazes throughout the town and sending out timely alerts to firemen who can go in and extinguish them before spreading. They’ve also been utilized in several assaults and other disruptions. In the month after the system was launched on January 8, the drones have been used to respond to several reports, including at least two stolen vehicles, with positive results. Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos says so far so good, and he credits the pilot with providing regional officers with more operational support.
The Police Commissioner, Mal Lanyon, and the Police Minister, Yasmin Catley, have made it plain that these drones will only be used in emergency situations, not for regular surveillance. They won’t be flying over backyards seeking for nothing in particular. Lanyon stated unequivocally that the purpose is to achieve some action quickly in response to a crime, not to monitor everything. The drones operate in the same way that police helicopters and planes have for years, but at a fraction of the cost, just $100,000 for the experiment versus thousands per hour to fly a manned aircraft.
[Source]
