Staffordshire Police used the 70cm-wide, battery-operated surveillance device to keep track of people they thought were acting suspiciously in car parks and to gather information on festival-goers.
Police said that while no arrests were made as a direct result of the images streamed back to officers, they thought it acted as a deterrent. However, the drone could not be flown over the crowded main arena for fears that a crash could cause injuries.
The device, which requires no special licences to operate, cannot be heard once it flies above 50m and is invisible above 100m. While it can operate at altitudes of up to 500m, the Civil Aviation Authority has set a limit of 120 metres.
Merseyside police have been using the technology for covert surveillance and tackling anti-social behaviour since May, but this is the first time it has been used to monitor a major public event.
Streaming high-quality video in real time, the drone can film in poor light and even at night. MW Power, the product’s UK distributor, told The Guardian that it plans to improve the drone’s capability by adding a unique DNA spray that can be squirted onto suspects from above.
Noel Sharkey, an expert in robotics at Sheffield University told the paper he was worried that the technology be used for more draconian uses.
“How long will it be before someone gets Tasered from the air for dropping litter, or even for relieving themselves down an alleyway under cover of night?,” he said.