Attack of the drones over Britain's skies as Home Office allows police to use military-style unmanned aircraft

• Remote-controlled craft will be similar to bomb-carrying war drones
• Will carry CCTV cameras and be used in 'appropriate' circumstances, says police minister
• Civil liberty groups fear skies 'littered with flying cameras'

By Jack Doyle, Home Affairs Correspondent

PUBLISHED: 18:32, 1 October 2012 | UPDATED: 02:02, 2 October 2012

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2211333/Attack-drones-Brita...

The police have been given the green light to use unmanned military-style drones.

But civil liberties groups have called for tighter regulation amid fears the skies could become ‘littered with flying cameras’.

Police minister Damian Green said the aircraft, which carry CCTV cameras, could be used in ‘appropriate’ circumstances.

A step too far? The Home Office has given police permission to use military-style drones like the one above which traditionally carry missiles as a crime-fighting tool over the skies of Britain

Senior police officers want to extend the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which are seen as a cheaper alternative to manned helicopters.

Currently the only drones approved for use are small radio-controlled devices which can only go up to 400ft in the air and up to 1,600ft away from the on-ground ‘pilot’.

 

Military hardware companies are developing civilian versions of the remote-controlled drones which carry missiles in Afghanistan.

Speaking at Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey yesterday, Mr Green said: ‘Drones are like any other piece of  kit – where it’s appropriate or proportionate to use them then we will look at using them.’

Chopper flop: Merseyside Police spent £13,000 on this CCTV-carrying drone to much publicity five years ago, but after helping to make just one arrest, it crashed and was never replaced

But Emma Carr, deputy director of the campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: ‘We need clear rules that establish what drones can be used and why, before we see our skies littered with flying cameras.’

Five years ago Merseyside Police bought a £13,000 remote-controlled craft. But last year, soon after helping in its one and only arrest, it crashed into the Mersey.

In August it was reported Kent Police is working on a £3 million project to use unmanned aircraft to patrol its coastline.

The Civil Aviation Authority has also licensed the testing of larger drones at ParcAberporth in West Wales.

Mr Green’s comments came at the launch of a new National Police Air Service which will use 26 helicopters operating from 23 bases across the country, saving £15million.

Spy in the sky: This reconnaissance drone is among the latest gadgets that could also be employed by police forces in the future

In future, these could be licenced for use above populated areas, once the technology has developed so they can automatically avoid civilian aircraft.

Chief Constable Alex Marshall from the Association of Chief Police Officers called for greater use of drones, which can stay in the air longer and are cheaper than running manned aircraft.

He said: ‘We don’t use them in mainstream policing at the moment but they may well offer something for the future. They can stay up longer, they’re cheaper, they can do things that you can’t do having people in the air.

Green light: Police minister Damian Green said the unmanned aircraft, which carry high grade CCTV cameras, could be used in 'appropriate' circumstances

‘The debate that still needs to be had - it might be cost- effective, you might be able to keep it up longer, but is it acceptable to the citizens of the UK to have them in the air?

He added: ‘We should be looking at different ways of providing air support in the future that don’t involve putting humans up in the air, but the public need to find it acceptable and it needs to be within the law.’

But Emma Carr, deputy director of the campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: ‘The regulation of drones appears dangerously lax where they do not weigh enough to be covered by the main air rules, something it appears those selling drones are keen to exploit.

‘We need clear rules that establish what drones can be used and why, before we see our skies littered with flying cameras.’

She added: ‘It was only a matter of time before we saw military hardware re-designed to be used in civilian environments when there is no clear pressing reason to do so, other than the profits of the companies involved.’

Mr Green’s comments came at the launch of a new National Police Air Service (NPAS) which replaces helicopters used by individual or groups of forces with a national system covering the whole country.

NPAS will use 26 helicopters running from 23 bases across the country, saving £15million.