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Transportation Privacy Security United Kingdom Your Rights Online

Drone Complaints Soar in the UK (cnbc.com) 42

Posted by msmash from the get-that-thing-off-my-face dept.
Drones are stirring up public annoyance in the U.K. as the number of complaints to police are said to have soared twelvefold over the past two years -- including allegations of snooping neighbors, burglary "scoping" exercises, prison smuggling and near-misses with aircraft. From a report: Last year incidents rose to 3,456 (about 10 a day), almost tripling the 2015 figure of 1,237. In 2014, the number of incidents was only 283, indicating that the commercial success of the devices has brought with it a growing public nuisance. The findings were a result of a freedom of information request submitted by the Press Association to show the number of incidents logged by police around the country between 2014 and 2016. Their timely release follows several reports of near-misses with passenger planes and drones, and the arrest of Daniel Kelly, 27, last year, who became the first person in the U.K. to be jailed for smuggling items into prisons. But the actual total of cases is thought to be much higher, as not all police forces were able to submit data on the drone cases.
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Drone Complaints Soar in the UK More

Drone Complaints Soar in the UK

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  • First Arrest (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Oswald McWeany ( 2428506 ) on Monday April 03, 2017 @12:42PM (#54165217)

    the arrest of Daniel Kelly, 27, last year, who became the first person in the U.K. to be jailed for smuggling items into prisons

    I find that unlikely. Probably the first person to be jailed smuggling items into prisons using a drone, but I find it unlikely in Britain's long history there has never been anyone jailed for smuggling items into prisons before.

    • I've been to prison in the USA so I can only tell from experience there. But 99% of the time guards are paid to look the other way or just paid to smuggle. Also the staff that isn't guards. Here in Nevada we had the leader of the music department at one of the prisons caught smuggling drugs in through the insides of electric keyboards and other instruments.

    • but I find it unlikely in Britain's long history there has never been anyone jailed for smuggling items into prisons before.

      There's a TV show all about it. It's called Border Security Australia.

  • So drone complaints are up (Score:5, Interesting)

    by OzPeter ( 195038 ) on Monday April 03, 2017 @12:43PM (#54165225)

    How does the increase in drone complaints compare with the increase in drone ownership over the same time? Neither TFS or TFA mention this stat.

    • How does the increase in drone complaints compare with the increase in drone ownership over the same time?

      That is an intelligent question that, if answered, would pick away at the underpinnings of the "drones are bad" narrative.

      Get in the penalty box right now, and don't come out until you've learned your lesson.

      • You don't think that when everyone is flying drones around the neighbor's house and Amazon et al. are delivering by drone that it isn't going to be really obnoxious? I realize that when there are only a few here and there it is OK, but what about when there are tens of millions, or hundreds of millions? Your obnoxious neighbor is going to have lots of fun spying on you.

        You don't think there is any reason why some people might start to think of them as a nuisance? I see a large potential for lawsuits, mass i

        • I agree wholeheartedly that laws will come, but I refuse to buy the chicken little drone narrative. 400 meters from where I sit a continuous stream of machines weighing from 500-40,000 kilos roll by at speeds of over 100km/h. They belch smoke and all manner of obnoxious noises. We made laws about how they could be operated and ceded our roads to their use. (Remember when roads were for feet and hooves? No? Neither do I.) Now people look at cars and trucks with little concern. My prediction is that U

          • Except that motor vehicles fill an essential need in modern civilization. Drones are at best a tool for a few, at worst a toy to spy or peep on your fellow citizens. If drones start filling an essential need, there will be wider acceptance of the nuisance that drones pose.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Zemran ( 3101 )
              That is the sort of thing that people said about cars 100 years ago. Drones are already filling several needs. They are being used for deliveries and police work. It is the nature of such things that in the near future hundreds of new uses will be found and that essential need will creep in. In our lifetimes they will be zipping around all over the place. S'pore is already considering them as taxis.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Xest ( 935314 )

      The BBC article on this stated the rise in complaints was indeed due to the rise in drone ownership.

      Personally I don't have a problem with drones, just as I don't have a problem with things like quad bikes and dirt bikes, and other such things. I do have a problem when they're used illegally though - i.e. when a quad biker nearly runs be down because he's belting illegally down a country path. Similarly I have a problem with drones being used by criminals to scout houses out for robbery. UK law says you're

  • OMG, why is the orange back. Why won't that orange go away!

  • Last year incidents rose to 3,456

    So about 1 in 200 people reported an issue. (and that's if each incident was from a unique individual). That's a lot. But not really a staggering amount of incidents in the grand scheme of things. There were probably more cases of bestiality than that. Especially in Wales.

    • Last year incidents rose to 3,456

      So about 1 in 200 people reported an issue. (and that's if each incident was from a unique individual). That's a lot. But not really a staggering amount of incidents in the grand scheme of things. There were probably more cases of bestiality than that. Especially in Wales.

      Its the UK. Pretty much anything stirs up public annoyance. Brightly colored shirts stir up public annoyance. Especially in England, where its practically a hobby to be annoyed.

  • . . . meanwhile, GOVERNMENT overhead surveillance (manned and drone/satellite) has been going on for decades, and no complaints. Perhaps that KNOWING you're under surveillance makes all the difference. . .

    • That's probably part of it, but those overhead surveillance tools rarely if ever are able to look into vertical bedroom windows and do not possess 4 plus high speed spinning razor blades less than 30 feet from your face (that sound every bit the part). Further, there is a certain level of professionalism (apparently much less in the last 8 years) that I expect out of government surveillance. They are typically looking for bad actors and photos of my house or my car are not invasions of privacy. The guy

  • I know most of my circle of friends is of the opinion that a drone (not displaying a valid GovBadge) inside our property lines WILL BE SHOT DOWN or otherwise disabled.

    Folks need to be able to defend against Privacy invasion (in fact if faced with charges for using a cross bolt or firearm with less than lethal rounds inside city limits i will call the LEOs myself and explain the situation)

  • How many complaints were there of excessive noise caused by parties?

    How about barking dogs?

    Drivers speeding?

    Burglaries?

    Assaults?

    By comparison, a few complaints about drones (often from people who believe the ridiculous hysteria drummed up by the media on this subject) seems to pale into insignificance doesn't it.

    Wait... surely it's time for an other "Drone doesn't hit aircraft" story from a media bereft of all integrity and honesty!

    • How many complaints were there of excessive noise caused by parties?

      How about barking dogs?

      Drivers speeding?

      Burglaries?

      Assaults?

      By comparison, a few complaints about drones (often from people who believe the ridiculous hysteria drummed up by the media on this subject) seems to pale into insignificance doesn't it.

      Wait... surely it's time for an other "Drone doesn't hit aircraft" story from a media bereft of all integrity and honesty!

      Its the UK, everyone is annoyed about everything.

      Just look at the phenomenon of the ASBO and its use in creating dress codes.

  • They now have plenty of "no drones allowed" signs in Silicon Valley at the public parks.

  • One problem is that many things are mindlessly blamed on drones now. So when a bird flies into your window at night, or your satellite dish falls off your roof, it's increasingly likely to be reported as a drone. I can't find the Slashdot headline from a year or two ago, but in the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) submitted a report citing some hundreds of complaints filed by airline pilots against drones. But when reporters and congress investigated, it turned out that less than a dozen had

  • Just one more clown added to this circus called Earth. -- There was a time on this planet, when we used to be serious, courteous and mostly at peace.. It's all but gone now. :(

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