JE News Desk: Amid increasing drone movement by Pakistan in the border districts of Punjab, the police have rolled out a drone emergency response system in the border region of Pathankot to stop attempts to smuggle drugs and weapons across the border using unmanned aerial vehicles.
The drone emergency response system has been implemented in as many as 14 villages of Pathankot which are within a range of 2 kilometres from the international border. The DERS is being implemented on a pilot basis and it will be replicated in other border districts of the state, said Pathankot Senior Superintendent of Police Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh, as reported by PTI.
Khakh further said that as many as two village police officers (VPOs) have been deployed in each of the 14 villages. These officers are residents and supervise any suspicious movement in their villages. They will work with village-level defence committees (VLDCs).
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Pathankot SSP said that in case of any suspicious activity, the village police officers will activate the VLDC and will further inform the police control room to take swift action.
What Is Drone Emergency Response System?
With the help of a drone emergency response system, the police will work with village-level defence committees along the India-Pakistan border to respond faster to the incidents of narcotics, arms, and ammunition from the neighbouring country.
The officials said that frequent drone movements for the smuggling of drugs and weapons across the border pose a challenge for the security agencies in Punjab.
The move came after border districts of Punjab witnessed frequent drone movement in the recent past. However, the Border Security Force (BSF) has recently gunned down several unmanned aerial vehicles and seized packets of heroin.
Earlier this month, Punjab Police declared a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information regarding drone movement which in turn helped in the recovery of weapons and narcotics.
Here Are Incidents When BSF Shot Down Pakistani Drones And Recovered Narcotics
- Last week, a joint team of the BSF with the help of Punjab Police recovered more than 5 kilograms of heroin that was airdropped by the Pakistani drone on the outskirts of Rai village near the International border in Punjab’s Amritsar.
- Earlier on May 28, BSF shot down a drone near the India-Pakistan International Border in Punjab's Amritsar and also arrested a smuggler carrying a narcotics consignment. This was the fifth drone to be shot down by BSF personnel in recent times.
- The drone (Quadcopter, DJI Matrice RTK 300) was intercepted from the agricultural fields of Dhanoe Khurd village in Punjab’s Amritsar. The force arrested one suspect and seized a bag containing a suspected narcotics cargo of three packets (gross weight of roughly 3.4 kg) worth crores.
- Earlier on May 20, the BSF shot down a drone in Amritsar that had violated the Indian Airspace. They also seized a bag containing suspected narcotics.