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A reminder to drone owners to be safe and legal.
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This follows an incident in Waltham Cross last week.
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Visit www.dronesafe.uk for information about how to fly your drone safely.
Drone owners are being reminded to be safe and legal following a recent incident in Waltham Cross.
Police were called on Wednesday (12 May) to report a drone being flown over a residential area of the town.
Sergeant Chris Fisher, of the Broxbourne Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Drones should not be flown closer than 150m to built-up areas and should not be flown directly over such areas.
“With drone flying becoming a more popular hobby I’d like to remind owners that failing to fly your drone safely could result in criminal prosecution and/or your drone licence being revoked by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
“The CAA are working closely with us in an effort to encourage owners to act both legally and responsibly and anyone found to be flying their drone in a manner deemed unsafe or reckless will be dealt with robustly.”
The following rules under the Drone Code should be adhered to:
- Always keep your drone or model aircraft in direct sight.
- Never fly more than 400ft (120m) above the surface and stay well away from aircraft, airports and airfields.
- Never fly closer than 150m to a crowd of 1,000 people or more. Never fly directly over a crowd.
- Never fly closer than 150m to built-up areas. Never fly directly over a built-up area.
- Never fly in an airport’s flight restriction zone. For further info, see: dronesafe.uk/restrictions/
- It is illegal to fly a drone or model aircraft between 250g-20kg that does not show a valid operator ID.
For more information about where you can safely and legally fly your drone visit www.dronesafe.uk.
If you’re concerned about the way a drone is being used you can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call the non-emergency number 101.
Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.
You can use our community voice platform ‘echo’ to let us know what you think we should be prioritising in your area. Your feedback will help towards shaping our local policing priorities, initiatives and campaigns. Visit bit.ly/herts-echo and tell us your thoughts.