Moree police drone trial extended for 2 years

“We’re extending this Australian-first trial in Moree for another two years because we want to give police every tool we can to keep regional communities safe,” said NSW Premier Chris Minns.

“These drones can be anywhere across Moree within two or three minutes, giving police on the ground eyes in the sky and critical information about what they’re responding to.

“There’s no single answer to regional crime, but we’ll keep investing in police, prevention and new technology that can help make communities safer.”

The trial is currently being evaluated for operational effectiveness, with a community survey of 516 people also undertaken to gauge public response; according to the survey, 85 per cent report no perceived negative impact, with 83 per cent saying the drones enhance community safety.

Additionally, 82 per cent of respondents were either “positive or very positive” about the drone use, and 78 per cent believed they improved emergency response times. Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley has held up the trial as an example of “smart policing at its best”.

“Police and the local community have told us the drone program is a real game changer, so we’re extending it,” she said.

VIEW ALL

>

“This technology is changing the way police fight crime and it’s happening because the Minns Labor Government is giving police the tools they need to keep our communities safe.

“Modern policing happens in the community, in the sky, on the road and at the scene not behind a desk. That’s the legacy we’re building.”

While 76 per cent of respondents said they had “very high or high trust in police use of drones” and 75 per cent said they felt “safer or much safer”, the trial has caused concerns among privacy and civil liberties advocates.

According to the Justice and Equity Centre (JEC), the trial “has been conducted without transparency around how its effectiveness is being assessed”, and its expansion comes “before the trial’s three-month review by NSW Police has concluded”.

Jonathan Hall Spence, principal solicitor at the JEC, said the organisation is “concerned to see the expansion of this trial when police still haven’t explained how drones are being deployed, when and where they’re recording footage, or how that footage is being used and stored”.

“The drones are being operated by police officers 600km away at Bankstown Airport. Are these drones filming people on private property? Are police officers viewing footage of people in their homes without their knowledge? We just don’t know – and that’s deeply troubling,” he said.

“The trial is being expanded before there’s any evidence that drones are an effective tool for crime detection or prevention. And this is happening without police finishing their own evaluation – let alone releasing that evaluation for expert and community input.

Spence said the JEC has written to the Police Minister and NSW Police Aviation Command to flag “the lack of clarity about drone use and the protection of people’s rights”.

“We told them there needs to be proper examination of police use of this technology and whether existing legislation and safeguards are fit for purpose,” he said.

“Police and government must develop binding policies on drone use and share them publicly, to show efforts are being made to protect privacy. But there’s no indication the NSW Government has considered this before making this expansion announcement.”

The NSW Government says further consultation, including with Aboriginal stakeholders, will be conducted as part of the evaluation process. The government will look to expand the program to other locations in NSW if successful.