Robbie Sefton looks at the Moree police drone trial and what it could mean for tackling regional crime. With early results showing promise, she considers how new technology might support safer communities, while recognising the need for strong safeguards around privacy and surveillance.
22 October 2026
Insight from: Robbie Sefton
The advancement of technology and how we use it is the subject of intense debate currently as the pros and cons are considered and the impact on society weighed up. These debates certainly aren’t new with every generation for hundreds of years having to grapple with the outcomes and consequences of new technology coming to the fore.
Drones are one such advancement and the uses for them today are vast: agriculture, infrastructure inspection, filmmaking and environmental monitoring to name a few. One use that has grabbed my attention though is in the public safety space, with a drone trial by police in Moree now given the green light for expansion. The trial of two drones by police in the town began early this year, the first of its kind in Australia. A few months ago the NSW Government announced it will extend the trial for a further two years and look to roll out the technology in other areas.
The drones are remotely piloted from the NSW Police Force Aviation Command at Bankstown Airport. The benefit, say police, is they can reach anywhere in town within minutes of launch, improving police response times. Police helicopters are obviously the gold standard when it comes to aerial surveillance, but they’re expensive to run and it’s just not possible to have them everywhere. Drones can offer some kind of ‘eyes in the air’ support, at a fraction of the cost.
Crime rates in the regions have been in the headlines for a long time, so the pressure is on our governments to find some answers. I currently sit on the NSW Regional Development Advisory Council, and while our panel doesn’t have any input into issues like regional crime, the one thing I know from being part of it, and from running a communications business specialising in regional Australia, is there is no one solution to any major challenge; success is only possible when many different ideas and strategies coalesce. And often it’s some ‘out of the box’ thinking that really takes the process forward. And, so it is with regional crime rates.
This is an issue with so many levels of complexity. Police numbers, resources, funding allocations, prevention strategies, sentencing measures are all part of the answer, but something like this drone trial is a new way of thinking about an old problem. The initial results are also promising, while acknowledging there’s still a long way to go before drones become a fixture of the NSW police response.
The NSW Government says there’s evidence the trial has helped reduce crime in the town, and in consultations with just over 500 Moree community members, 83% believed the drones enhanced public safety and 78% believed they improved emergency response times. The Government has also said further consultation, including with Aboriginal stakeholders, needs to happen as part of the program’s expansion. Some residents, too, have raised concerns around privacy and ‘overreach’.
Valid concerns and certainly not new when it comes to drone use where people are living, working or recreating. Using drones in the pursuit of law and order must come with very strict parameters, and people have the right to feel they’re not under constant ‘surveillance’ as they go about their lives.
But, if after all the analysis and consultation is done, and checks and balances are put in place, drones prove to be effective in helping reduce crime rates in our regions, and residents feel safer, then it’s hoped this initiative will be adopted. And, that it leads to other ‘out of the box’ ideas that can help our communities feel more secure.
