[Bill McCarthy]

A major incident (for here anyway) - armed police, two ambulances and every Tom Dick, and Harry arrived. A £3000 drone which was invading someone’s privacy on a farm was blasted out of the air with a shotgun. Where the armed police came from, who knows.

[JAFO]

Bill, how was it invading someone's privacy? If you flew over in your light aircraft taking piccies, would you expect to receive a similar welcome?

Glad they sent the ambulances, though. I hope the drone makes a full recovery.

[johnm]

Aeroplanes tend to fly a good deal higher than drones and I'd happily take a drone out if turned up overhead.

[Bill McCarthy]

To hit the thing with a shotgun - about 150ft possibly.

[JAFO]

@johnm - you may want to wait and see what the outcome of this incident is before you take that particularly ludicrous decision.

[Rob P]

You cannot shoot down or damage a drone, even if it is flying over your house or land. You could be charged with 'endangering an aircraft' and face a harsh prison sentence.

Rob P

[Cessna571]

I phoned the police when one turned up over my garden at my last house.

About 40/50 feet up.

I phoned the police, did lots of pointing at it whilst on the phone, so whoever was operating it could see me pointing.

It stayed for 15 mins and buzzed off.

I asked the lady if there was anything they could do, she said she didn’t know, but at least I’d logged it as a nuisance.

I said I’d phone again if it came back.

It never did.

I’m a bit twitchy about stuff like that as my wife had a proper stalker when we were in our twenties.

Before they changed the law, the police said they couldn’t touch him. It was genuinely scary for a while.
(His letters were professing love not hate, it’s not a crime to say that you love someone.
It’s not even a crime to say you’ll wait for their husband to die, as long as you’re not threatening to do it)

He’d have used a drone if they existed I’m sure.

[Cessna571]

When I was on holiday in the Scillies there happened to be lots of yachts around this year.

There was a drone launched from the beach visiting each one in turn.

I reckon it was looking for topless sunbathers or such like.

Completely legal I suppose.

[JAFO]

When I was on holiday in the Scillies there happened to be lots of yachts around this year.

There was a drone launched from the beach visiting each one in turn.

I reckon it was looking for topless sunbathers or such like.

You can't prove anything, I wasn't even there then, whenever that was, not that I'd know, I've never even been there.

[johnm]

@JAFO

[Rjk983]

When I was on holiday in the Scillies there happened to be lots of yachts around this year.

There was a drone launched from the beach visiting each one in turn.

I reckon it was looking for topless sunbathers or such like.

You can't prove anything, I wasn't even there then, whenever that was, not that I'd know, I've never even been there.

Is the missing chapter from the book the misemployment of government equipment? We’ve all seen Blue Thunder, we all know the real reason police helicopters have high powered cameras

[A le Ron]

I didn’t do it Guv. It was someone else. I wasn’t even there. I was on the moon. And anyway, she said I could.

[OCB]

@Bill McCarthy et al - there is a rather amusing episode of Modern Family relating exactly to this issue.

Definitely worth watching

[Sooty25]

Privacy.............







.....is a thing of the past.

[kanga]

I seem to have read a few news stories in recent months about Police Officers or support staff being dismissed for misconduct (or even prosecuted) for misusing police database access privileges for 'private' purposes (including 'stalking' of 'ex's).