(In)visibility at Height: Drones, Policing & Procedural Justice

• In Event: INTERACT: Investigating New Types of Engagement, Response and Contact Technology in Policing

Abstract

The use of drones by UK Police forces has risen steadily over the last decade, with the technology now being used by most UK forces for a range of aerial-based tasks. Perhaps most notably, the drone is used for tasks which make use of in-built cameras and the drone’s-eye-view, at height, which this provides. This makes the drone invaluable for roles such as identifying missing and vulnerable people, identifying suspects and gathering evidence at scenes where an aerial viewpoint is advantageous. However, the use of a camera or drone’s-eye-view, piloted by the police, looking down on the public, brings with it a number of issues. Perhaps chief amongst these is visibility of and by the drone at height. Conceptually this paper is situated within Procedural Justice Theory, where visibility can be understood as a necessary precursor to procedurally just encounters. In order for the public to ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect and that trust and confidence can grow, the police actors and processes which they engage with must be, first and foremost, visible. Drawing on qualitative data collected through ethnography and interviews with two police forces in the UK and from a review of current UK legislation, I focus on two interlinked examples of visibility in police drone use. Firstly, the visibility which the drone’s camera has of the public being policed and secondly the visibility, for the public, of the drone at height. On the latter point, I also critically explore the current definitions, as guided by RIPA, of covert and overt drone use in policing, both in legislation and in practice. The paper concludes with an assessment of current and near-future police drone use and legislation, in an attempt to identify the future opportunities and challenges for procedurally-just aerial policing.

Authors

• Will Andrews, Keele University

• Estelle Clayton, Edinburgh Napier University

• Megan O'Neill, University of Dundee

• Elizabeth Aston, Edinburgh Napier University

• Helen Wells, Keele University

• Ben Bradford, University College London