A woman has died and a man has been left critically injured in a car accident after being chased by police over suspicions they were trying to fly a drone into a prison.
The crash occurred early on Tuesday (August 9) near Wandsworth Bridge, London, as the couple were followed by Metropolitan Police Service officers responding to reports of a drone being flown around nearby Wandsworth Prison.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other occupant, in his 20s, was taken to a west London hospital where he remains in a critical condition. Acacia Smith, 25, from Acton, west London, died instantly when the silver hatchback skidded across the road, ploughed through garden walls and burst into flames.
No other vehicle was involved in the collision, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation.
The incident comes in the same week that Freedom of Information data revealed that at least 425 reports of drone-related crime were made in 2015, compared with 94 in 2014.
This increase looks set to continue this year as 272 incidents were recorded between January and May, and the true figure will likely be higher still as only 21 UK forces provided a response.
According to Professor David Dunn, a leading researcher into drones, this growth is likely to increase as the technology becomes more and more common. He told the newspaper: “What you have is a massive proliferation of easy access to the air from machines that have the capacity to cause nuisance, to carry out surveillance, to cause potential injury and to frighten people and cause collisions with cars and airplanes.
“There needs to be regulation and there needs to be systematic attempts to educate the public… the police are being forced to use laws that were designed before the invention of drones fit in terms of health and safety, but actually what we need is a Drone Bill through the House of Commons to address the technological challenges.”
Almost 260 of the reports related to concerns for safety, with anti-social behaviour making up the second highest crime at 55 reports.
Fourteen related to transport-related offences, 13 to burglary, and ten to protests and prisons-related reports respectively.
Two sexual offences were reported in London and South Wales, as the Metropolitan Police Service responded to a drone being used voyeuristically and South Wales Police to one being used to covertly film an undressed young woman.
Several more reports were submitted of drones being used to record footage of children, raising concerns that the devices may be being used by paedophiles.
Steve Barry, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Unmanned Aerial Systems, said that police and the Civil Aviation Authority are aware of the increasing use of drones and are working to raise awareness of laws governing the devices.
He added: “We have issued guidance to all forces on how to respond to drone misuse by the public. Work is ongoing to better understand the threat posed by drones, and to develop an appropriate legal response.
“We are working with the Home Office on how drones might be used to enhance operational capability in law enforcement, including for support for emergency response or for public order events.”
Several forces, including Devon and Cornwall Police, have already announced programmes to help improve the police service’s use of the devices.
The force is expected to soon announce an expansion to its drone unit following a six-month trial that saw it buy and test two new DJI Inspire drones.
Surrey and Sussex forces are also leading the way, having been awarded £250,000 of Police Innovation Fund money to create the largest drone unit in the UK.
Mr Barry, who is also assistant chief constable of Sussex Police, said: “Our drone operations will be overt, open and transparent, and we will use all outlets available to us to ensure the public are informed of our drone use.”
Photo: Police Professional
Source: Police Professional.Com