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Avon and Somerset Police said the drone had already helped recover £100,000 worth of stolen equipment in a single operation.
It hopes the technology will stop hare coursing and poaching and lead to more prosecutions.
One Somerset farmer said it would stop theft on his farm "if it can be deployed quickly".
The drone uses a controller that has a live feed from its cameras, and can be quietly flown at a speed of 25 knots (28 mph).
It can be used to survey large areas of land to find missing people and criminals quickly.
Avon and Somerset's rural and wildlife affairs unit drone pilot Pete Wills said: "It is a gamechanger.
"Hare coursing, especially, and poaching are underreported and also prosecutions are really difficult to get because there isn't CCTV out here."
Full article:
The BBC - Avon and Somerset Police deploy new drone to fight rural crime
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