MORE police patrols are being put in place to tackle drone misuse following complaints about invasion of privacy.
The increased presence comes after a recent case where a group of women in bikinis said they felt “harassed” after a drone flew at eye level and appeared to film them on the beach.
Sussex Police are implementing the move to provide protection for beach users following the women's calls for greater awareness and for more to be done about the issue.
A force spokesman said: “increased patrols have been put in place to deter any similar behaviour and identify any perpetrators.
“Misuse of drones is liable for prosecution under the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 and an investigation is ongoing to identify whether any crimes have been committed.”
The incident occurred on Brighton beach on Sunday, August 14, when a group of five young women became aware of a drone flying within inches of them with a camera pointed at them.
One of the women, who wished only to be named as Rebecca, said: “The drone dehumanises the whole situation because there’s no face behind it."
The group said the drone “lingered” on them and they felt they wanted to “throw a rock” at the machine.
The women, all in their mid-20s, were worried that the incident breached guidance on flying drones as well as privacy laws.
According to guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority, drones should not be flown within 50 metres of any groups of people. Guidance also states that while flying in public areas such as Brighton beach, any footage taken should be considerate of people’s privacy.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “We license drone flying for commercial purposes but we have no control over recreational use of drone equipment.
“The CAA guidance is absolutely clear that no drone should be flown within 50m of people and should never be flown in crowded areas.
“Contravening these directions would constitute a breach of the safe flying guidelines for drone use and therefore should be reported to the police.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel