Investigation launched after child injured by police drone in Sheerness, on Sheppey
A special inspector has been given a misconduct notice after a child was taken to the hospital after being injured by a police drone. Officers were called to a report of an assault in Sheerness[1] on Sheppey shortly after 4pm on August 2.
They deployed a drone to search for the suspect, but during the operation, the device is understood to have struck an overhead cable, fallen to the ground and hit a child. The youngster was then taken to a London hospital with serious hand injuries.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has since confirmed it is investigating the incident as the drone was being flown by Kent Police when it crashed. In a statement, a spokesperson added: "As part of the ongoing investigation, we have served a misconduct notice on a special inspector. "The serving of a notice does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow."
The IOPC said this is the first time it has ever investigated a civilian being injured by a police drone.
It is believed that the high-performance drone was a UAS DJI M30T model weighing around 4kg and was designed for professional use, equipped with thermal, wide and zoom cameras.