FOI 244-24 Drones

Enquiry Reference:  244 - 24                                                                        

 

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

 

Please see below a request for the following information relating to incidents involving the misuse of drones, specifically those reported as being used for stalking or harassing victims.

 

Given the growing accessibility and use of drones, understanding their misuse for such purposes is crucial for public safety and privacy concerns.

 

Specifically, I would like to request the following information for each of the following time periods:

January 2018 – December 2018

January 2019 – December 2019

January 2020 - December 2020

January 2021 – December 2021

January 2022 – December 2022

January 2023– December 2023

January 2024 – February 2024 (most recent available)

2021. a)  We do not record misuse of drones we can however provide the number of reports received from members of the public contacting the Force in regard to Drones. See below we only hold this data from 2021.

 

January 2021 – December 2021 - 78

January 2022 – December 2022 - 65

January 2023– December 2023 - 66

January 2024 – February 2024 – 8

 

Question 1:

What is the total number of incidents reported involving the misuse of drones per year?

1. a) See above. 

 

Question 2:

How many incidents of drone misuse were reported to have been used for the purpose of crimes such as stalking, harassment, voyeurism per year?

1. a)  See above.

 

Question 3:

Are there any patterns identified in these incidents.

1. What is the nature of the harassment or stalking reported (e.g., surveillance, intimidation).
2. How many investigations were launched per year?
3. How many charges are filed per year?
4. How many convictions are obtained per year?

Answer – Not recorded.

 

Question 4:

Is there any guidance, policies, or initiatives implemented by your force to tackle the misuse of drones for stalking or harassment?

1. a) No.

 

Question 5:

Lastly we would be interested to know if you have an officer available for interview on the data you provide and whether or not it is possible to film with any victims and/or the police drone unit.

1. a) Not something that can be answered under Freedom of Information.

 

Please note that all statistical data supplied in relation to Freedom of Information requests is a snapshot of data held at the time the request was received by the Freedom of Information office and is subject to constant change/updates.

 

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