Legislation Being Crafted In Response To Gatwick Incident

The U.K. government is crafting legislation that would broaden police powers related to drone use in an effort to prevent a repeat of the incident which closed Gatwick Airport for three days prior to Christmas.

The BBC reports that the new legislation would give police additional authority to land UAVs and require users to show registration and other documentation. They would also be allowed to search homes, businesses or other areas to confiscate drones, and have access to any data stored on the device, if the offence is deemed to be serious enough and a warrant is obtained.

On the technology side, the government said it would expand the use of anti-drone devices to detect and repel the aircraft around sensitive sites such as airports and prisons.

Registered drone users would also be required to take an online competency test, according to the report.

But business correspondent Theo Leggett wrote for the BBC that in his view, it is unlikely that any of the proposals, which have been under consideration for some time, would have made any difference in the situation at Gatwick. Flying a drone that close to an airport is already illegal in the U.K., and finding those responsible has proven to be the government's largest hurdle.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report