Dudley Council to deploy drone to tackle illegal off-road motorbikes
Dudley Council will deploy a drone to tackle the use of illegal off-road motorbikes across the borough.
The authority is buying a DJI Matrice 4DT as bosses invest in the latest technology to tackle the “scourge” of anti-social behaviour in Dudley.
The drone will be flown for up to 200 miles per week and will help the council to identify those making others lives a misery on a daily basis.
It will also be used in fly-tipping investigations and to identify potholes, while thermal technology will allow the council to identify properties potentially being used to harvest and grow illegal drugs.
Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council, said: “This is a great example of the council using new technology to tackle the scourge of anti-social behaviour.
“The drone will be of particular use in identifying those on off road bikes, which are an absolute problem everywhere.
“These drones will help us combat that by working in conjunction with the police trying to track down the people who use these bikes.
“At the moment we can’t apprehend them as they are too fast at getting away.
“Tools like this, added to the powers of our dedicated and specialist team and a new and really strong anti-social behaviour policy, will help us combat the scourge of off-road bikes.”
