A police helicopter and a thermal-imaging drone helped officers locate two men in separate incidents in northeastern Hungary last week: one a wanted man attempting to hide from police, the other a missing 28-year-old who had reportedly threatened suicide.
Helicopter tracks down wanted man
The two incidents took place on 25 August during a policing operation carried out by the Rapid Response Police in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County.
In the first case, officers were searching for wanted individuals in Tiszavasvári with support from a helicopter operated by the Rapid Response Police’s Air Policing Service. The helicopter crew spotted something suspicious as officers approached a house. A man was seen moving towards a wooded area at the back of the property, apparently attempting to escape.
The helicopter operator immediately directed the camera towards the man and continuously relayed his location to officers on the ground. The 55-year-old suspect attempted to hide beneath the trees, but the aerial surveillance allowed officers to locate him within minutes.
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Police subsequently established that two warrants had been issued against the man by Tiszavasvári Police Station. One was issued in March after he failed to pay a HUF 65,000 (EUR 178) fine, while the other followed an unpaid HUF 52,000 (EUR 142) fine issued in August.
Both fines had been converted into custodial sentences of 10 and eight days respectively. The man told officers that he was still unable to pay the fines, and he was taken to Tiszavasvári Police Station.
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Thermal drone finds missing man in cornfield
Later that same day, the Rapid Response Police’s Nyírbátor unit received a report about a different man who had left his home after allegedly threatening to take his own life.
The man’s father, from Besenyőd, told police that his 28-year-old son, who was receiving medical treatment, had run into a cornfield behind their home. He said he could no longer find him and was concerned because his son had threatened suicide.
Officers deployed a drone equipped with a thermal-imaging camera to search the area.
The technology quickly revealed the man’s location, allowing patrol officers to reach him without difficulty. Given his confused state, officers called an ambulance to provide him with medical assistance.
The two cases show the important role of aerial technology in police operations, from tracking suspects attempting to evade arrest to locating vulnerable people who may be difficult to find from the ground.
