Blighty's slate grey skies may soon be peppered with DroneCops, after it was revealed by The Times that drones have been given the go ahead for "high-risk" criminal investigations by UK police.

More than a quarter of the 43 police forces in England and Wales are mulling whether to bring in drones to help them tackle burglaries and sieges, according to a report in the The Times—which was briefed on the plans.

However, the quadcopters could also be used by cops to, for example, allow them to eyeball protesters, in a move that is likely to raise concern among privacy campaigners.

The National Police Chiefs' Council's (NPCC) lead on drones, Steve Barry, told the newspaper that a trial carried out by Sussex and Surrey forces had proved successful. The test involved the use of five Aeryon SkyRanger drones at the cost of £250,000, paid for from a grant from the Police Innovation Fund.