An "eye in the sky" arrest of a teenager fleeing from a stolen car using a
surveillance drone could land police in court after it emerged it did not
have permission to be in the air.
[telegraph.co.uk] The arrest, by Merseyside Police, was hailed as a landmark success in policing
history in a statement released to the media last week.
But it emerged that by using its newly-acquired Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV),
the force may have committed a criminal offence since it did not have
permission from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to fly the device.
Merseyside Police, one of three forces which uses drones, has been forced to
ground them and is being investigated by the CAA’s Aviation Regulation
Enforcement Department (ARE).
Officers used the UAV, which is equipped with thermal imaging cameras, to
pursue two suspects travelling in a stolen Renault Clio in Bootle on 26
January.
One 20-year-old was arrested at the scene, and a 16-year-old who ran away and
hid in bushes 100 metres (300ft) away was tracked down by the UAV.
Chief Inspector Nick Gunatilleke, from the force’s Anti-social Behaviour
Taskforce which operates the drone, announced the arrest on Wednesday.
"The force is continually looking to use new technology to help in its
fight against crime and these arrests demonstrate the value of having
something like the UAV as a resource," he said in a press release.
However, Merseyside Police appears to have overlooked new legislation was
brought in on 1 January 2010 amid concerns about the safety implications of
flying unmanned aircraft in built-up areas.
In a statement, the force said it had now applied for a licence. "Since
the force has known of the change in regulations all UAV flights have been
suspended and will remain so until the appropriate licence has been granted,"
a spokesman said.
