Singapore hands over 6 drones to Nepal police as part of disaster recovery efforts

KATHMANDU — Singapore on Thursday (Sept 10) handed over six drones to the Nepal Police at its Kathmandu headquarters.

Four DJI Mavic 4 Pro and two DJI Matrice 4 drones were taken to Nepal by the 35-member Singapore contingent comprising officers from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and Home Team Science and Technology (HTX).

According to the manufacturer's specification sheet listed on its website, these drones have an average flight time of about 45 minutes and an operating range of about 30km. The Matrice 4 drones are also equipped with thermal capabilities.

Four unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) trainers from the Singapore police have spent over a week working with their Nepali counterparts to hone their skills in operating the drones.

It appears that the Nepali officers have attained some operating competency, based on observations by AsiaOne photojournalist Rauf Khan.

Standing on one end of the field, Rauf has his lenses trained on Superintendent (Supt) Sum Tuck Meng, who heads operations and training at the Home Team UAV Command, and his Nepali counterpart.

The objective set by Supt Sum: Fly the drone towards the AsiaOne photojournalist to look for "signs of a survivor".

The Nepali officer did well with just brief cues from his experienced trainer, and Rauf went on to file this story unscathed.

Drones to augment search operations

The drones are expected to supplement the larger heavy-lift drones that are being used to deliver relief to displaced people by providing wide-area monitoring to help identify safe flight paths.

It can also be used to conduct aerial assessment of areas that may be difficult or unsafe to access.

Such drones are already in use by the Nepali army in its search and rescue operations.

Commander of the Singapore contingent, Assistant Commissioner of Police (AC) Patrick Tan, said at the handover event that the two police forces have a "very close relationship", noting that Nepali citizens serve in the SPF's Gurkha contingent.

"We hope that our small contribution in this aspect will be able to help our Nepali friends during these difficult times," he added.

Nepal's Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Dan Bahadur Karki also spoke of the long history of friendship and cooperation between the two police forces, adding that the drones are not merely a piece of technology.

"They are vital tools that will immediately enhance our operational reach, allowing us to inspect inaccessible areas," the police chief said.

Beyond supporting ongoing post-disaster recovery efforts, IGP Karki highlighted that the drones directly advance Nepal Police's vision to establish its own specialised UAV unit.

"The integration of drone capabilities into our day-to-day policing will fundamentally expand our operational capacity.

"This will transform how we handle disaster management in future, tactical reconnaissance, crime investigations, and public safety missions," he said.

9 missing Singaporeans

Turning briefly to the nine Singaporeans who remain missing after the deadly Aug 26 floods, IGP Karki said his heart goes out to their families.

He said that Nepal Police remains fully committed to locating those still reported as missing so that their families can get answers.

Meanwhile, AC Tan told AsiaOne that the Singapore contingent is focused on supporting the Nepali authorities with their ongoing relief efforts.

This, he said, includes the identification of victims, including Singaporean victims.

"We will continue to work closely with our Nepali counterparts and provide whatever assistance we can during our deployment," AC Tan added.

Singapore's High Commissioner to India Simon Wong, who is concurrently accredited to Nepal, noted in a social media post on Thursday evening that officers from the two police forces have been exchanging best practices over the past nearly two weeks.

"We are confident that the drones will help in Nepal's disaster recovery efforts," he said.

加德满都——新加坡于周四（9月10日）在其加德满都总部向尼泊尔警方移交了六架无人机。

由新加坡警察部队 (SPF)、卫生科学局 (HSA) 和内政科技团队 (HTX) 的官员组成的 35 人新加坡代表团携带了四架 DJI Mavic 4 Pro 和两架 DJI Matrice 4 无人机前往尼泊尔。

根据制造商网站上列出的规格表，这些无人机的平均飞行时间约为45分钟，作业范围约为30公里。Matrice 4无人机还配备了热成像功能。

来自新加坡警方的四名无人机（UAV）教官与尼泊尔同行一起工作了一周多，以提高他们操作无人机的技能。

根据亚洲新闻社摄影记者拉乌夫·汗的观察，尼泊尔军官似乎已经具备了一定的作战能力。

拉乌夫站在场地的一端，镜头对准了负责内政部无人机指挥部行动和训练的苏姆·塔克·孟警司和他的尼泊尔同行。

苏姆警司设定的目标是：操控无人机飞向亚洲新闻台摄影记者，寻找“幸存者的迹象”。

这位尼泊尔军官仅凭经验丰富的教官的简短指示就表现出色，拉乌夫也毫发无损地完成了这篇报道。

无人机将用于加强搜索行动

预计这些无人机将作为大型重型无人机的补充，用于向流离失所者运送救援物资，通过提供广域监测来帮助确定安全的飞行路线。

它还可以用于对难以进入或不安全的区域进行空中评估。

尼泊尔军队已经在搜救行动中使用此类无人机。

新加坡特遣队指挥官、助理警务处长陈柏青在交接仪式上表示，这两个警察部队有着“非常密切的关系”，并指出尼泊尔公民在新加坡警察部队的廓尔喀特遣队中服役。

“我们希望我们在这方面的微薄贡献能够帮助我们的尼泊尔朋友度过这些艰难时期，”他补充道。

尼泊尔警察总监丹·巴哈杜尔·卡尔基也谈到了两国警察部队之间悠久的友谊与合作历史，并补充说，无人机不仅仅是一项技术。

“这些是至关重要的工具，可以立即增强我们的行动范围，使我们能够检查难以进入的区域，”警察局长说。

除了支持灾后重建工作外，卡尔基警察总监还强调，这些无人机直接推进了尼泊尔警方建立自己的专业无人机部队的愿景。

“将无人机能力融入到我们的日常警务工作中，将从根本上扩大我们的行动能力。”

“这将改变我们未来处理灾害管理、战术侦察、犯罪调查和公共安全任务的方式，”他说。

9名失踪的新加坡人

卡尔基总警监简要提及了在8月26日致命洪灾后仍然失踪的九名新加坡人，并表示他向他们的家人致以最深切的慰问。

他表示，尼泊尔警方将继续全力寻找失踪人员，以便他们的家人能够得到答案。

与此同时，陈振声告诉亚洲新闻社，新加坡特遣队正全力支持尼泊尔当局正在进行的救援工作。

他说，这包括确认受害者身份，包括新加坡受害者。

“我们将继续与尼泊尔方面密切合作，并在部署期间提供我们力所能及的帮助，”AC Tan补充道。

新加坡驻印度高级专员兼驻尼泊尔高级专员黄思远周四晚间在社交媒体上发帖指出，过去近两周来，两国警队的官员一直在交流最佳实践。

他说：“我们相信无人机将有助于尼泊尔的灾后重建工作。”