BOARDMASTERS’ bosses used drones to help police monitor huge crowds at the event last summer.

Live footage was streamed to organisers to enhance situational awareness and help coordinate data-driven decision-making in real-time.

The drone camera helped support officers on the ground as it provided a comprehensive aerial view of the 50,000 plus crowd, traffic movements and individual incidents.

The live footage was filmed using a DJI M350 RTK aircraft and a DJI Zenmuse H30T payload.

Boardmasters festival producer Sam Watkins says the drone’s aerial capability provided a strategic advantage when it came to crowd management.

Sam said: “Having the police support us with the drone was an invaluable tool.

“Our crime safety managers, health and safety team, and control room commanders used the drone footage to help deploy resources, move around stewarding and security, and to see any problems evolve ahead of time.”

Traditionally Devon and Cornwall Police’s single biggest annual event, state-of-the-art drone technology was utilised last year to give the force a set of eyes-in-the-sky as crowds descended on Watergate Bay.

PC Chris Linzey, from Devon and Cornwall Police’s drone unit, said: “The Boardmasters Festival is the single largest deployment for our team and our primary role is to assist ground units with air support capability.

“It is a large festival site and, by using the drone, we can see a large area of the festival footprint from a single location and then use that imagery to direct units.”

PC Linzey believes continued innovation in the sector will further enhance operations.

He said: “Looking ahead, the drone in a box and the drone as first responder concept has a massive role to play in emergency service operations and will be a fantastic tool to help keep our public safe.”

The force has a thriving drone unit, supported by its drone partner, heliguy.

The drone supplier and training specialist has supported scores of police forces and public sector organisations with their drones.

Clients have included global brands, such as the BBC, along with Premier League football clubs.

Brandon Jones, a training instructor at heliguy, said the H30T provided a wealth of hi-tech features, which made it an ideal choice for crowd monitoring at Boardmasters, including a 48MP wide-angle camera coupled with a 400x digital zoom camera.

Additionally, it boasts night-vision and thermal imaging - with a laser rangefinder capable of extending to three kilometres.

All of the H30T’s core camera modules were utilised by Devon and Cornwall Police during the event, with the wide camera providing an overview of crowd and traffic movements, while the zoom camera enabled more detailed, up-close observations - all while the drone maintained its position from afar.

The H30T’s thermal and night-vision capabilities meant officers could still monitor crowds as festival ran into the evening.

The five-day August event in 2024 hosted superstar headliners including Sam Fender and Stormzy.

Big names that are already announced for the 2025 event include Raye, The Prodigy and London Grammar.