Dutch police train eagles to take down unauthorized drones

Dutch police will become the world's first force to train an army of eagles to resolve the problem of an increasing number of unauthorized drones in the skies.

Giving the first public demonstration, Dutch forces on Monday unveiled one of their feathered friends, two-year-old Hunter, a female American bald eagle.

"It's a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem," police spokesman Dennis Janus told reporters.

A series of training and tests have been conducted since early 2015, police said, adding that they have achieved "good results."

"We found out that it is probably one of the most effective counter-measures against hostile drones," police head of operations Michel Baeten said.

The eagles will be deployed whenever drones are believed to be posing a threat to the public, including flying around sensitive areas during state visits or being too close to airports.

Around 100 police officers will be trained to work with eagles, and the Dutch flying squad will go into action as of next summer.

Drones become popular across the globe because of the low-cost and easy operation. However, a series of drone-related incidents have triggered public concerns over the increasing misuse of the lightweight unmanned aircraft.

Authorities in many countries are exploring methods to combat illegal drones, such as shooting nets to drones, or jamming communication signals to force them to land. Endi