Two suspects were arrested after they were spotted hiding in a back garden by a police drone.
Officers had earlier been called to investigate a break-in at a cinema in High Street, Hucknall, at around 1.30am on Wednesday 23 November.
Nothing was taken and two suspects were later spotted by a police drone, huddled in the back garden of a house in Coupe Gardens, Hucknall.
The boys, aged 16 and 15, were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary and criminal damage and later released on bail.
Sergeant Vince Saunders, chief pilot at the Nottinghamshire Police drones unit, said: “Drones are a quick and cost-effective way to put an eye in the sky and give officers a three-dimensional view of any situation.
“This was the latest example of just how hard it is for suspects to hide from the law once a drone is put into the air."