Regina police using Draganfly X6 to enhance investigations

Mini helicopter takes aerial views, photos of crime scenes
Reported by Samantha Maciag
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The Draganfly X6 is not a pretty insect, it's actually a new tool that will enhance the way the Regina Police Service conducts investigations from the air.

It's a remote-controlled mini helicopter that's used to obtain aerial views and photos of major crime scenes and serious car accidents.

"This technology is a big leap forward for the police service. It gives us another avenue to of being able to better investigate different situations or different incidents," said Const. Nolan Bespalko, one of two officers trained in using the unmanned aerial vehicles.

He says it gives them a whole new view of crime scenes, helping them pick up things that could have been missed.

"There's a number of different cameras we can get, actually. The basic camera which was utilize right now is just a standard digital camera," he said.

The Draganfly was created in Saskatoon by Draganfly Innovations. It weighs just one kilogram and can get up to a speed of about 50 kilometres per hour.

The maximum altitude it can fly in line of sight is 8,000 feet. However, because it's an aircraft, it is regulated by Transport Canada, so the ceiling is limited to 175 feet during the day and 100 feet at night.

UAVs range in price from $10,000 to $50,000.

To view more photos of the demonstration, click here.

To see the Draganfly in action, click on the video below.