§ 60. Mr. Raymond Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research into the use of helicopters and aerial photography as aids to crime prevention and the preservation of law and order is in progress in his Department; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Elystan MorganAs regards helicopters, I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given on 19th December, 1969, to a Question by the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Eldon Griffiths). Experiments in aerial photography have been carried out and further experiments are planned. They have shown some promise for the detection of buried bodies, but much more work must be done before fully effective techniques and equipment are developed.—[Vol. 793, c. 453.]
§ 61. Mr. Raymond Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in the development, production and issue of thermal-imagery cameras, thermal detection units, laser-beam detection systems and other scientific aids to crime prevention and the preservation of law and order and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Elystan MorganA variety of advanced scientific devices of these kinds, have been under experimental investigation in the Home Office, as possible aids to the detection of buried objects, night vision, and the detection of intruders, and certain of them have been used on operational trials with police forces. It is too early yet to assess the full potentialities of all these techniques, or their practical economy, but there have been a number of promising developments and the trials are proceeding.