The NPCC analyst – whose team forms part of the UK national counter-terrorism policing operation – added: “Just because someone has seen a drone fly over a school does not necessarily indicate that this is being used for voyeuristic or other sexual offences. But equally we cannot disregard the possibility that the drone is being used in that manner.”
In a statement, it said: “We continue to encourage schools to report any drone activity to their local police force. This will help policing identify any patterns of concerning behaviour.” “In the case of schools or public spaces, we think we are looking more at cases that are potentially voyeuristic in nature rather than attempts to identify or track individuals. But it is something that we need to be aware of and act upon where necessary.”Criminals are uusing UAVs in a wide variety of ways.
The daily average of 14 sightings of interest to police is more than double the figure recorded in 2018. Emergency jamming equipment supplied by the RAF was only withdrawn after Gatwick’s operators spent £5m on equivalent technology.