The funeral procession of Head Hunter Trinity Duffy aka James Helu arrives at Waikumete Cemetary ahead of his burial on Monday.
Video / George Block
The burgeoning use of drones by police has expanded to encompass surveillance of gang bikers.
Specialist Auckland police launched a drone earlier this month near the pad of the Head Hunters West chapter in View Rd, Henderson, the Herald can reveal.
The drone was used to monitor patched members ofvarious gangs as they massed outside the pad ahead of a motorcycle procession around Auckland that formed part of the tangi of Trinity Elijah Duffy, aka James Helu.
Duffy, 39, was a patched Head Hunter who died hours after a stand-off ensued with armed police who were executing a search warrant at his Newington Rd home in Henderson early on February 24.
He was found dead inside the home that evening when members of the Armed Offenders Squad ventured inside.
His death has been referred to the Coroner and is not being treated as suspicious.
The police operated drone watches the pad of the Head Hunters West chapter in Auckland. The police eagle helicopter in background was used to follow the convoy of bikers around Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell
Police based at a park near the headquarters used the drone as a surveillance tool as the bikers massed.
It fed a live video feedback to the pilots, who relayed the movements of the gang members back to other staff on the ground, stationed about a block away from the pad.
The drone was not used to follow the gang members, who included members of the Head Hunters, Filthy Few, Hells Angels and Killer Beez, on their ride around Auckland with the ute carrying the coffin, as it lacked the required speed and range.
Instead, police used the Eagle helicopter as usual.
Police said in a statement the use of the drone above the pad was not part of a trial and was part of their now routine use of “RPAS” (remotely piloted aircraft systems).
“RPAS, also known as drones, are primarily used by police for crime scene and road crash photography,” the statement said.
“They’re also used for situational awareness for staff in armed offenders’ situations, fleeing driver incidents, and other operations where surveillance of a location will improve tactical decision making and minimise risk to staff and the public.”
It is understood more than one New Zealand gang is known to operate drones. They have been employed to film highly produced videos of gatherings with videographers commissioned by the gangs themselves.
A patched member of the Head Hunters East chapter begins to turn into Waikumete Cemetery during the funeral of Trinity Elijah Duffy. Photo / Dean Purcell
The use of drones has become widespread by police overseas.
Tasmanian police in 2021 used one to track down a man wanted for murder who had fled into the bush.
In 2019, police bosses approved a six-month “proof of concept” trial in the Northland, Canterbury, Waikato and Tasman districts.
An internal report on the trial the following year, released under the Official Information Act, said during that period there were 121 drone deployments.
They were used for finding fleeing offenders, “situational awareness during tactical operations”, crime scene photography and situational awareness during Armed Offenders Squad deployments.
The drones were not used for “general monitoring purposes” during the Covid-19 lockdown, the report said.
The convoy featured dozens of bikers from a range of gangs. Photo / Dean Purcell
Police use models from Chinese drone giant DJI, known for their relatively cheap, easy to use mass-produced drones.
The report said it would be reasonable for each of the 12 districts to have a fleet of about six drones, with enough trained pilots that one was always available.
It also said cheaper models such as the DJI Mavic Air should be investigated for their potential to provide a “drone in every car”.
But the report’s authors cautioned these cheaper models do not have the cybersecurity protections available in more advanced models.
