aircraft fitted with cameras are not flown close to people or property, then permission is not required from the CAA; the aircraft must, however, be flown within the visual line of sight of the pilot at all times in order that the operator is able to prevent collisions.


Enthusiasts in general can, and do, fly models away from buildings and passers by. They are familiar with their surroundings and their models and do not need special permission. The same can be said for the majority of individuals who buy small UAVs with cameras, who don’t invade anyone’s privacy or endanger anyone.


Responding to UAVs near your premises


If you are a security officer or a police officer and spot a UAV, there are a number of key questions to consider:


• Intent – is the UAV being used for fun, for commercial reasons, for business, or something anti-social such as snooping?


• Equivalence – what would be an equivalent scenario, without a UAV; for example, if someone was using a camera on an extension stick, what would your response be?


• Appropriateness – how appropriate are the safety precautions they are taking? If you see a UAV near a building or built up area, then there are some simple questions to help evaluate whether the safety precautions are adequate:


- is the UAV within 500 metres of a building? - Is the UAV within 50 metres of people? - Is the UAV over 400 metres high?


If any of these are the case, you can ask the person in question, do you have CAA permission? Can I see it?


Invasion of Privacy and UAVs


The CAA regulations do not cover matters relating directly to privacy and the Data Protection Act only really applies to organisations and does not cover private use. However, The Information Commissioner’s Office has recently updated its guidance on


© CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – SUMMER 2015


surveillance cameras to include guidance on UAVs.


Individuals being bothered by UAVS


So what happens when people don’t abide by the regulations? The best advice is the same as for any form of anti-social or criminal behaviour: gather as much evidence as you can, such as ID of the individual and where and when it happened, and go to the police.


Andrea Berkoff .......................................................................


Summary of relevant offences Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA)


• A Small Unmanned Aircraft is any unmanned aircraft having a mass of 20kg or less (includes model aircraft)


• The Person in charge of the SUA (ie. the ‘pilot’) is responsible for ensuring the SUA is flown in a safe manner


• The pilot must keep the SUA within his/her direct, unaided visual contact


• SUA may only be flown for aerial work if the pilot has a permission to do so from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)


Small Unmanned Surveillance Aircraft (SUSA)


• SUSA is an SUA which is equipped to undertake any form of surveillance or data acquisition (e.g. cameras)


• CAA permission required to fly within the following limits:


- Over or within 150 metres of a congested area


- Over or within 150 metres of organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons


- Within 50 metres of vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the pilot


- Within 50 metres of any person (30 metres during take-off or landing). Does not apply to pilot or people under control of pilot


- A congested area in relation to a city, town or settlement.


www. c i t y s e cur i t yma ga z ine . com


Drones with a more sinister intent...


A


recent study estimated that around 50,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)


or Drones are now operating within UK airspace. The capability of these devices has increased exponentially within the last few years with high-spec Drones able to fly further, faster and carry more equipment than ever before.


The latest generation of drones, equipped with surveillance equipment… or worse.


Consider this alongside the fact that the vast majority of our Critical National Infrastructure is protected from a ground-based attack. Fences, gates, hostile vehicle mitigation measures, CCTV, lighting and the various intruder detection systems that we employ at our critical sites are configured to detect, deter or delay a car, a van or a person on foot, not something that is simply able to fly above all of these measures, largely undetected and entirely uninhibited.


Drones are able to carry highly sophisticated surveillance equipment including telephoto lenses, low-light and thermal capabilities as well as audio collection apparatus; they can be used to observe patterns of life and the manner in which security operations are conducted in preparation for a subsequent attack. Equally, the possibility exists that a drone could be used to carry a more sinister payload; with more advanced drones able to transport loads in excess of 10kg, imagine the possibility of such a device simply flying over existing physical security measures and delivering a high-explosive payload to the heart of our CNI. Only a few days ago, a drone carrying radioactive material landed on the roof of the Japanese Prime Minister’s residence, circumventing all of the traditional physical security measures that were in place.


Paul Oughton Consultant at Advent IM Security


www.advent-im.co.uk > 17


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