Derbyshire police receive almost 100 calls about use of drones in one year

Derbyshire police received almost 100 calls relating to the use of drones last year, we can reveal.
The popularity of drones is soaring across the country.The popularity of drones is soaring across the country.
The popularity of drones is soaring across the country.

A Freedom of Information request to Derbyshire Constabulary found that the force received a total of 91 calls about drones in 2017, with 26 of them listed as ‘nuisance’ and 20 as ‘suspicious circumstances’. Other calls related to theft, burglary and criminal damage.

Of the 91 calls, a crime was deemed to have been committed in 10 of them.

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A Derbyshire police spokesperson said: “The use of drones is governed by the Air Navigation Order, which includes restrictions on where they can be flown, how high they can go, and how close drones can be to buildings, roads, and large groups of people. These rules are currently being reviewed by the Government and further restrictions on drone flight could be introduced soon. There is plenty of advice available online for new drone pilots, which clearly spell out the rules and responsibilities they have as soon as they take to the air. Pilots must always respect people’s property and privacy and anyone who feels a drone is being flown recklessly or against the rules of the Air Navigation Order can report it to the police or to the Civil Aviation Authority.”

One of the most high profile cases in Derbyshire involved a man called Nigel Wilson, from Bingham, Nottinghamshire, who admitted taking a video over Derby County’s iPro Stadium while a match was being played in 2014. He was fined £1,800 for a total of nine similar offences.