A vulnerable missing person was located thanks to a Kent Police drone pilot working closely with colleagues on the ground.
Officers from Ashford Local Policing Team were called to a rural location in the borough at around 9.35pm on Tuesday 16 August 2022, where concern had been raised for a woman in her 30s who had left her home address.
Searches were carried out of the nearby fields and outbuildings before PC Andrew Green from the Roads Policing Unit, who is also a trained drone pilot, was called in to assist along with Police Dog Wilma and her handler PC Jessica Arnold.
Further enquiries led the officers to a location about a mile away, where PC Green was able to spot a figure in the fields and guide PC Arnold and PD Wilma to her location shortly after midnight. She was deemed to be safe and well and was given a lift home.
Drone footage of the woman being located and led to safety
Sergeant Michael Gallon of Ashford Local Policing Team said: ‘When somebody is reported missing, our priority is to find them as quickly as possible before any harm can come to them. To do so we draw on a range of different specialisms including on this occasion a drone pilot and police dog.
‘Locating this missing person was a real team effort and I am thankful to everyone who played their part in ensuring she was brought home safely.’