We’ll feature unmanned aerial vehicles – UAVs or drones for short – in the September 2015 print issue of Professional Security magazine, both as a tool for security managers, and as a surveillance or other threat to be guarded against.
Swansea City has one to film its footballers in training. Video of one that fired a gun (in the United States, where else?!) went viral. State lawmakers in California are wondering whether to allow firefighters to disable them by jamming them electronically because they might interfere with helicopters dropping water on fires. Needless to say criminals are making use of them, to carry drugs over the Meixcan border into the US. Earlier this year one was reportedly caught in razor wire on the perimeter wall of Bedford Prison, presumably to send goods to prisoners.
For a Youtube 42-second video of the IP CCTV product manufacturer Indigovision controlling a drone that’s carrying a video camera, visit https://www.youtube.com.
Drones: the law
If you are using a drone for a commercial use or with surveillance fitted, you need permission from the Civil Aviation Authority. You must not fly them at all within 50m of people, vehicles or buildings and not at congested places such as concerts or sports stadia. Visit www.caa.co.uk/uas. Quite how the CAA enforces any of this it doesn’t say.
