In a move by the Metropolitan Police, according to the Inquirer’s Madeline Bennett, Chief Inspector Nick Aldworth would like to start a Drone Register for all UAV owners.
There has been much in the press recently about US officials thinking along the same line.
I am not against this kind of idea, because clearly we will reach UAV overload at some point due to the predicted heavy sales in the market. However, will they be able to do this in reality?
For instance, will they exempt normal hobbyists with fixed wing or helicopter models? Will they be able to contact everyone who has already bought one? Will you have to present a ‘passport’ for your drone on request? Has the bird flown already?
And then, will it be a national register? Can they communicate with other forces around UK effectively enough to enforce it? Do they have the manpower? Is it down to the police to take up this role?
I’m not sure about all of this, but I am sure we have failed at integrating registers before and this has a lot of debate to go before it flies.
Oh, and are we really a menace Madeline? There are a huge number of applications for UAVs which are useful, efficient, cost effective and job creating. I think less a menace, more a useful tool with far reaching technological advancements to come.
The article can be found here:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2433810/met-wants-a-drone-register-to-manage-the-uav-menace
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