Looks like the police are going to be rolling out these handy little surveillance gadgets soon, so this will definitely mean an end to all terrorism and crime ! Hurrah !

CCTV in the sky: police plan to use military-style spy drones | UK news | The Guardian

 

Well thats a nice bit of attempted shock reporting by a lefty Jorno on a quiet newsday.

The CAA are years away from licensing any medium or large UAV for use in UK airspace. It's simply far too busy.

Other than that:
"military drones controversially used in Afghanistan" - it's only controversial to Guardian, Independent and Socialist Worker readers.....

"But their use in war zones has been blamed for high civilian death tolls" - Again, only by fools who haven't got the first idea what they are talking about. The authorisation for weapons release is the same for a UAV as it is a manned platform. If it is the wrong decision the blame does not lay with the platform used. Anyhow - I'm guessing the local Constabulary isn't going to be flying Hellfire equipped MQ-9's so it's inclusion is completely irrelevant to this attempted story.

They're far cheaper to operate than a manned helicopter and provide greater time over target. So it's better value for money for all us tax payers when they're tracking stolen vehicles or trying to hunt down some scumbag.

 

One could be excused for imagining our future as a totalitarian state, especially when we become totally federated with those fellows on the other side of the water,as if we are not significantly already. What better device could the authorities have to help them see that we are all doing exactly what the State tells us to do!

Les

 

you English are all the same. You have had your eyes on Ireland for 100s of years.

you may take our lives but you will never take our freedom..............

 

Where on earth will this all end. Surely this is a step too far? It seems to me its about catching people they can fine not jail.

If this happens I'm off to some other country where freedom is prized.

 

Seeing that we have a pork chopper flying overhead on a daily/nightly basis (on numerous occasions waking me up by hovering and circling over my house at 4:00am ), I hope these UAVs replace them. It wasn't so bad some years back, but these days they just take the royal p**s.

All these pork choppers do my me is chase kids on motorbikes in the park/canal tow paths (for no end purpose as they always get released if caught, as they are too young etc), and supervise accident scenes. Maybe the odd car chase if they are lucky enough to be in the air at the time (of which the debate follows; follow kids in stolen car, or carry on following kids in the park).

Point being is the cost of running these things - is £800 an hour to chase a few kids on a scrambler on some wasteland value for money? To me, its like they are treated as an overfunded ex-RAF boy's play toy. Meanwhile a cash strapped charity air-ambulance has to scape by on dwindling donations.

If these UAVs are cheaper to run than a Helicopter and will replace them, then I'm all for it. Also should one suffer a critical failure, I suspect a UAV would do less damage to my roof than a EC135 Eurocopter.

 

As I type I've got a pork chopper circling just infront of my house dropping below close to 100ft. Circled 7 times thus far....at least this is during the day for once, I normally get it waking me up in the small hours!

 

Don't worry everyone - it will be OK.
We live in a democracy!

 

Oh great, now its flying over my house

< awaits to be arrested for giving it the 4 finger shuffle and calling it an ex-RAF pilot's play toy on SN >

 

They are getting smarter - it took that **** on Twitter two weeks to be arrested - but now the interweb has live feeds to the "disobedient citizen" alert 'copter

mb

 

Check your loft, you may have an immigrant growing gear up there

 

Wrong fellows,wrong water!

Les

 

Nah, its only my gear up there.

Had police helicopter hovering over us again this morning at 6:00am, so much for a sunday morning lie-in.

 

And some (police) would say that these things are a complete waste of money.

 

Thats just a scabby airship, if you want to dodge helicopters if you are up no good you just have to find out where the no fly zones are in the area, ie airports.

Also the weather has a big say in these things and usually the smaller ones have a limited range,

Its all pie i the sky,lol

Mac

 

Ali-b stick a 4ft length of drainpipe on your shoulder and point it at him whilst waving to him - fiver says he wont come back

 

the british army always seemed to get the wrong idea when we did that in south armagh

 

yep PORK pie.

I'll get my coat, shall I?

 

Ali would get taken away at 4 am under the prevention of terrorism act!

Les

 

He'll be OK, so long as he does it from a neighbour's garden, and not his own

 

What is it with the Police and current Government? The main reason for getting these multi million pound drones is to catch more of us motorists speeding. We hear that police authorities are receiving less funds and are taking policemen off the beat. They are just cautioning rapists, peado's, burglars, vandals and vilolent offenders, all these people just walk away. There arent sufficient places in the prisons so they let people out of jail early to repeat offend, in cases to continue to rape and murder. Yet they seem to be able to lay their hands on unbounded funds to persecute people who commit a victimless crime. In fact those caught speeding, parking or dropping litter will be paying this extra victims levy. Seems like you can be caught for child rape and let off but doing 80 on a motorway is classed as more of a crime. This country is all screwed up.

However these pilotless drones have a bad reputaion for killing innocent members of the public. They are not all that safe. Just wait till the odd one falls on a well populated area, as it will.