West Midlands Police launched a first-of-its-kind project in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, on February 20, 2026, to monitor crowds using permanent drone hubs at Molineux Stadium. This project is intended to help officers see crowd movements in real-time and respond to safety issues more quickly during busy matchdays.
The weatherproof drones are housed in special boxes at the stadium and are flown by police pilots working from control rooms located many miles away. These devices use satellite internet to send live video directly to Wolverhampton Wanderers and police security teams.
This initiative is a partnership between West Midlands Police and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. While they will be used for football, the drones are also set up to help with other emergencies in the city, such as searching for missing people or monitoring serious car crashes when games are not being played.
The Premier League has backed the move to help keep fans safe, but some privacy groups have expressed concerns. Big Brother Watch has previously called this type of aerial monitoring intrusive and suggested that there is not enough oversight for how the footage is used.
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