The Moose Jaw Police Service is now using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, commonly known as drones, as part of their operations.

Const. Todd Booth is the only officer on the force licenced to fly the drones currently. Booth received his basic licence in August of 2019 and his advanced licence in March of 2020.

Three more officers are currently in the process of being certified to fly the drone.

The Moose Jaw Police Service has three drones. The DJI Mavic Mini is used for training and the DJI Mavic Dual is used for quick deployment.

The DJI M300 RTK is a high-tech drone used for more complex situations.

"In May 2020, we started the purchase of our large drone which is capable of operating in -20, can withstand winds of over 50 km/h which is important for our location and can sustain rain and dust while in the air," Booth said.

This drone includes a wide-angle camera, zoom camera and thermal imaging.

So far the drones have only been used in a couple of scenarios including a search mission and the recent train derailment.

Deputy Chief of Police Rick Johns said the drone can in very handy during the train derailment.

"Where the UAV is going to come in and have a lot of value is if the train derailment would have had hazardous material or would have been off-gassing we'd be able to send that drone in to be able to read the placards and know exactly what we are dealing with as opposed to sending officers into a situation where they could be exposed to chemicals," Johns said.

The police are using the Moose Jaw Radio Control Aircraft Club's airstrip for training.