Drones may be the answer to gang crime, if the new Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that are being utilised by some police forces work the way they were intended.

The drones operate with four carbon-fibre rotor blades which hold a camera that sends CCTV images back to the control unit, so that police can see what is happening at a scene where they are not physically present.

Each unit measures about three feet and can carry video, night vision pictures, still images, and thermal images.

Merseyside Police was the first unit to try out the drones, using them to fight gang crime and guns.

In the past they have also been used at festivals to detect crimes.

The little helicopter cameras are useful because they allow authorities to collect evidence on video that can be used to sort through varied versions of different events.

Derbyshire Police plan to use them at the Red White and Blue Festival to detect situations of disorderly conduct.