KP police establish country’s first UAV division

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have established the country’s first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) division aiming to enhance aerial surveillance and counter the growing use of drones by militants.

According to a police statement, the new UAV division will operate under the province’s Safe City project and will deploy drone and anti-drone technologies across districts for monitoring and security operations.

Ground control stations have been set up in all districts to enable aerial surveillance, while authorities plan to conduct forensic examinations of drones shot down during militant activity, police said.

Officials said that a modern Drone Innovation Centre will also be established at the Elite Police Centre in Nowshera, where advanced research and operational development will be carried out.

Training programmes for police personnel on modern drone operations have already begun at the School of Tactics, enabling officers to operate surveillance drones and anti-drone systems, the police said.

The initiative is part of a broader effort to modernise law enforcement and respond to emerging aerial threats.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police earlier announced plans to create a dedicated drone technology unit at the Nowshera Police Training Centre to strengthen counter-terrorism capabilities, particularly in volatile districts such as Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Waziristan.

Officials said that the unit will eventually deploy a range of systems including surveillance drones, operational drones, jamming equipment and anti-drone technologies designed to detect and neutralise hostile drones used by militant groups.

Security authorities have increasingly raised concerns over militants’ use of commercial drones to carry explosives or conduct reconnaissance, prompting law-enforcement agencies to adopt advanced aerial monitoring technologies.

Police said the new UAV division will strengthen real-time intelligence gathering, improve operational response and enhance public safety across the province.