Drones Fitted with Cameras in Service of Crime

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UK Police are having to investigate the rise in the number of crime reports involving commercial drones.

An investigation by The Independent has found that the number of incidents reported to the police involving drones surged by 352% in a single year, as the public became increasingly aware – and suspicious – of the machines. The surge in the reports to police also reflect the rapid uptake of the flying robotic devices and their massive proliferation, and the fact that they can be fitted with cameras for various purposes.

Drones, quadcopters and multi-rotor helicopters already equipped with 360 degree 4K video cameras, more than twice the quality of HD, are currently available to buy without any registration or permit. Speeds range as high as 70 mph for mass produced drones, while potential altitudes up to 10,000 feet make them a threat to aircraft flying in or out of airports.

Many also offer image transmission to a handheld device, such as a mobile phone, and others include night vision.

Alleged incidents included use by paedophiles over children’s playgrounds, spying through bedroom windows, burglars scoping out people’s properties, and cash point scammers recording people entering their PIN numbers.

The reports also include drones endangering commercial airliners, raising wider concerns for public welfare and potentially the threat of terrorism. The use of drones by criminal gangs to transport drugs, often into prisons, was also reported.