Police have used unmanned surveillance aircraft known as drones over 130 times since 2009 but their use has only led to arrests in four cases, the AD reports on Tuesday.

All the arrests related to marijuana plantations, the AD says, quoting police information. The results also show that the police are losing interest in drones as a method of crime solving.

Both the police and justice ministry are less likely to use drones because of ‘the lack of concrete results’, according to the minutes of public prosecution departments.

Vision

The police declined to comment on the paper’s analysis but said a ‘broad vision’ on the effectiveness of using drones will be completed next year.

Dutch defence minister Jeanine Hennis confirmed in March that the defence ministry owns 75 drones, or unmanned surveillance aircraft, and these are regularly used in the Netherlands to carry out police work

Drones are used to trace burglars and getaway cars as well as illegal marijuana plantations. For example, Harlingen borrowed two drones from the defence ministry last year after a spate of burglaries in the Frisian town.