-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: August 21, 2007 9:39:07 PM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: UFO-like Eye-Spy Drones Used to Monitor Attendees at "V"
Festival in UK
Eye in the sky:
police use drone to spy on V festival
· Suspicious behaviour monitored from above
· Privacy fear as emergency services plan wider use
James Randerson, science correspondent
The Guardian (UK), August 21, 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2152983,00.html
Police used a remote-controlled spy drone to watch crowds at the
"V" festival at the weekend, the first time the technology has been
used at a major public event.
The 70cm-wide flying surveillance device, fitted with high-
resolution still and colour video cameras as well as infrared night
vision capability, was used to keep tabs on people thought to be
acting suspiciously in car parks and to gather intelligence on
individuals in the crowd.
Staffordshire police said the drone's images did not lead directly
to any arrests, but one reason for using it had been to deter would-
be thieves. It was not flown over the main arena because of fears
that a crash might cause injuries.
The battery-operated drone's four carbon-fibre rotors are so quiet
they cannot be heard from the ground once it is higher than 50
metres, and at 100 metres up it cannot be seen with the naked eye.
It can fly 500 metres high, but the Civil Aviation Authority has
set an operating limit of 120 metres.
The vehicle, which takes off vertically, can be flown even when out
of sight, because it beams images back to video goggles worn by the
operator.
Since May, Merseyside police have been using two drones -
originally developed by a German company for military use - to
police public order situations and prevent antisocial behaviour.
One tactic is to fly the drone over groups of young people causing
a nuisance in parks. The force has also used it for covert
surveillance.
The West Midlands fire service plans to use drones to get a bird's
eye view of buildings on fire. "Being able to look down on the
scene will allow us to get a full picture of the incident and the
surrounding environment, which will aid incident commanders to make
vital, potentially life-saving decisions," said the deputy chief
fire officer, Vij Randeniya.
The Metropolitan police is interested in using drones to police the
Olympics. Firearms officers also believe they could be useful in a
standoff with armed criminals
MW Power, the company that distributes the technology in the UK,
plans to improve the drone's capability by adding a so-called
"smart water" spray - a liquid infused with unique artificial DNA
sequences which can be squirted on to a suspect from above. It
infuses their clothes and skin and the DNA code can be used later
to identify them.
There is no legal barrier preventing a private security firm or a
paparazzo photographer from using the technology, but MW Power said
that it was only licensing the vehicle to customers from the
military or emergency services. It costs less than £1,000 a month
to lease - an amount that would buy less than an hour's use of a
conventional helicopter.
Some experts fear it represents an unwarranted intrusion of
privacy. "We should find out whether the public wants this," said
Noel Sharkey, an expert in robotics at Sheffield University who is
worried about the increasing use of robotic vehicles in military
conflicts and policing. While most people would support its use to
catch car thieves, the technology could be put to more draconian
uses in future, he said.
"How long will it be before someone gets Tasered from the air for
dropping litter, or even for relieving themselves down an alleyway
under cover of night?"
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