Significant increase in drone use for prison drug drops

There has been a significant increase in the number of reports made to police about criminal activity being carried out by drones, including drug drops into prisons.

Drone-related incidents reported to police are 12 times higher than the number reported three years ago. During 2016, various police forces recorded 3,456 drone-related incidents compared to 1,237 in 2015, and 283 in 2014. The greatest number of incidents were recorded by Sussex Police in 2016 with 240, while Greater Manchester came in second, with 225. It appears that drones are being used to carry out criminal activities, including drug smuggling. For example, it is known that at least one drone was used to drop new psychoactive substances, formerly known as legal highs, into prison grounds. Other contraband has also been smuggled into prisons in this manner.

Other activities using drones include neighbours snooping on one another, and burglary, where criminals use the drones to perform surveillance on properties before breaking into them. There have also been several near misses, where aeroplanes have almost collided with large drones.

Assistant Chief Constable, Steve Barry, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for drones, said, “As awareness of what drones are and what they can do continues to grow, police forces have seen increases in concerns and reports by the public. We have to balance the growth of this technology by ensuring that the public are aware of the strong regulatory framework and detailed user guidance that is available relating to drone use.”