British police revealed that drones are being used for stalking and vandalizing people's homes. Reports highlight a significant increase in the usage of these devices. According to recent figures, criminal incidents involving drones jumped 40 percent in two years.
Information requests filed by Sky News revealed that across 20 of the 45 UK police forces, there had been more than 2,400 reports of incidents involving drones last year, much higher than the 1,700 reports in 2016.
In Cambridgeshire, there were reports of drones being used to drop paintballs into people's gardens, and in Northern Ireland, around 30 cases involved anti-social behavior.
Under existing laws in the UK, pilots must avoid flying their drones within 50 meters of a person, vessel, vehicle or structure not under the control of the pilot, and any pictures taken with a drone camera are subject to privacy laws.
The findings come just days after the Home Office unveiled new legislation which would give police new stop and search powers for drone pilots near airports, and would widen existing no-fly zones around runways to five kilometers.
Although the review centered around preventing "widespread disruption" at airports in future, like that seen at Gatwick and Heathrow airports over the Christmas holidays, the bill also revealed that the government would be keeping "the operational requirements and needs of the police in relation to other drone offenses" under careful review.
For his part, the National Police Chiefs' Council said it was working with the government and the aviation regulator Civil Aviation Authority "on future legislation to meet the challenges and risks posed by drones."
