FOI 422-24 Drones

Enquiry Reference:  422 - 24                                                                                                       

 

I write in connection with regards to your Freedom of Information request.  Below is your request and our response.

 

1. Which drone models do Cleveland Police Currently fly in the force area?

 

For example, I have noticed a large reconnaissance drone that fly’s over my local town once in the same evening. It then seems to travel on its flight path to the next town.

 

Can you also list any smaller tactical drones that are used on a job-by-job basis?

 

We have the following drones in force

DJI M30T

DJI Mavic 3 T

DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced

 

2. What are the guidelines you are using when flying in public?

 

For example,  if I'm out walking and a drone passes overhead, it's to be expected that I may be recorded in the same way I would be from a police car or body cam.

 

However,  I wouldn't expect to be followed for extended periods. Would you need a court order  for something like this?

 

We operate under an ‘Operation Authorisation’ which is essentially a commercial licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.  Our drones don’t record by default.  We don’t require a court order to fly drones, we are permitted to by the Civil Aviation Authority.  We have a Data Protection Impact Assessment in place, which stipulates how we handle the information obtained.

 

The Cleveland Police response to your request is unique and it should be noted that Police Forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures to capture and record data therefore responses from Cleveland Police should not be used as a comparison with any other force response you receive.

 

If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request, you have the right to request an independent internal review of your case under our review procedure. The APP College of Policing guidance states that a request for internal review should be made within 20 working days of the date on this response or 40 working days if extenuating circumstances to account for the delay can be evidenced.

 

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Decision Maker