Use of Drones
Dear Cumbria Constabulary,
Privacy International (PI) is aware that drones are being used by police forces across the UK for surveillance purposes.
In 2020, as part of research into the Police use of drones, Drone Wars sent Freedom of Information Access Requests to 48 police services across the UK. Of the 42 that responded, 40 UK police forces confirmed they were using drones – 95% of respondents, or 83% of those FOIAed. According to these FoI responses, as of 2020, there were at least 288 drones operated by police forces across the UK. In the first 6 months of 2020, there were more than 5,500 overt uses of drones by the police within the UK.[1]
In 2021, it was reported by the Guardian[2] that drones were used by police to monitor political protests in England. The Surrey, Cleveland, Staffordshire, Gloucestershire and West Midlands police forces said they had used drones at Black Lives Matter protests.
Further, on the 16th March 2021 the Mayor of London confirmed that “drones have been deployed [by the Metropolitan Police Service] for coverage of crime scenes, providing aerial support for pre-planned operations, surveying premises and providing live footage of operational deployments to assist command decision making and therefore support a wider policing plan”.[3]
PI is also aware of drones being obtained by other public authorities such as Border Force and the UK Maritime[4] and Coastguard Agency.[5]
It is suspected that drones are being deployed to monitor migration at UK borders. In 2020, it was reported that drones sold by Portugese company Tekever were seen flying over the English Channel.[6] PI would also highlight a recently published procurement exercise by the Home Office for the future use of drones by Clandestine Channel Threat Command.[7]
In light of the above information, PI requests the following information by way of a Freedom of Information Act request. Please can you confirm the following:
1. If you are using drones for surveillance purposes, on which legal basis do you rely for the collection and storage of data collected by drones?
2. Please provide us with information regarding what payloads could be fitted onto the drones, such as the type of cameras, sensors or other tools that you have previously fitted onto the drones.
3. Please confirm if any of the drones have been combined with facial recognition technology?
4. Please provide us with the following:
a) any guidance and/or policy you are relying on for the the deployment of drones
b) Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) in relation to the use of drones if one has been completed.
5. Please confirm which private companies you have used for the procurement of drones.
Yours faithfully,
Privacy International
[1] See: https://dronewars.net/2020/11/02/benchma...
[2] See: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021...
[3] See: https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2021...
[4] See: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho...
[5] See: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/english-...
[6] See: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/uk-drone...
[7] See: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov....
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Please find attached response in respect of Freedom of Information Request
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J Roberts left an annotation ()
The Guardian:
'Meanwhile, data revealed by the Telegraph on Tuesday found that two-thirds of the camera drones in use by British police are made by the Chinese company DJI, which is also blacklisted in the US.
DJI dominates the global market in civilian camera drones, in part because its technology costs much less than that of western rivals. But US officials warn that the information from them could be seized by Beijing with no notice under the country’s national intelligence law.'
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/f...
The use of overt surveillance camera systems in public places by police forces in England and Wales: An assessment of compliance with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice
Updated 16 February 2023
'Unmanned aerial vehicle borne cameras (UAV – drones)
31. Thirty-one respondents said they used UAV-borne cameras, typically stating that they were able to record video (15 respondents), with a small number also being capable of recording audio (2). 26 drones have thermal imaging capability or night vision, and 14 have an optical zoom facility. DJI is the most commonly-cited manufacturer (17 respondents), with other drones deployed including Sky Mantis and Airvon. When specifically asked if they had any UAVs manufactured or supplied by surveillance companies outside the UK about which there have been any security or ethical concerns, at least 23 forces mention having such concerns about their use of DJI drones, however 11 mitigate this by stating there are no government restrictions in place prohibiting the use of these drones.'
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
Commissioner for the Retention and Use of Biometric Material Annual Report - January 2021 – March 2022
And
Surveillance Camera Commissioner Annual Report March 2021 – March 2022
February 2023
'161. The reports that some police forces are buying drone technology from the same companies who have reportedly facilitated genocide against Uyghur Muslims in China is a pressing concern that has attracted public attention this year, and raise the same issues that I have covered elsewhere in this report. I wrote to the NPCC Chair Martin Hewitt96 to record formally my concerns around the human rights and ethical considerations in the police procuring and deploying surveillance technology from companies with concerning trading history.'
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...