Incredible drone footage shows hunt for suspects through Kirkby estate

Dramatic drone footage released by Nottinghamshire Police shows officers flooding a neighbourhood this morning in search of suspects.
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They can be seen by the drone's thermal-imaging camera running down streets and alleyways, shining torches and using a police dog as they hunt for suspects, who moments earlier crashed and abandoned a car in Kirkby near Mansfield.

The incident started after officers spotted a vehicle they believed to have false number plates on the A611. They followed it on to the M1 and then towards Mansfield.

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A police pursuit then started after it failed to stop for officers - and later crashed into a parked vehicle. The occupants of the car ran off on the A38 at around 3.20am today (Friday, February 28).

Within a minute, one suspect was detained with the help of Police Dog Morse and two others ran off in the Orchard Walk area. After further searches in gardens, two more men were stopped.

Three men, aged 23, 19 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of failing to stop, dangerous driving and car theft. They remain in police custody.

Inspector Dean Gallacher, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "This was fantastic work by local officers, Operational Support, the dog section, the drone unit and the control room operators - a real team effort!

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"Police Dog Morse and his handler helped to detain one offender, whilst the drone team assisted with officers in a detailed search of the area to help locate the other two men."

The footage released today shows the camera flicking through the different functions to see if any gives a clearer view of anyone who may be trying to hide.The footage released today shows the camera flicking through the different functions to see if any gives a clearer view of anyone who may be trying to hide.
The footage released today shows the camera flicking through the different functions to see if any gives a clearer view of anyone who may be trying to hide.

The drones are equipped with two cameras, one which records normal footage, and is used as an eye in the sky to assist officers on the ground. The other camera has a number of different thermal-imaging and night sight functions which can help pick out heat sources in the darkness, making it difficult for suspects to hide and evade capture.

The footage released today shows the camera flicking through the different functions to see if any gives a clearer view of anyone who may be trying to hide.