Drones will be forbidden to fly within 3 miles of an airport, as different from the current 0.6miles (1km) no-fly zone.
Yes absolutely. totally acceptable and reasonable and sensible, moderate in fact.
Furthermore, the police will be given new stop and search powers against anyone suspected of flying a drone maliciously.
No absolutely not. Far too vague, nothing like qualified or quantified. Simply further creep of power and what does"suspected of operating a drone maliciously" actually mean anyway?
Does it mean perhaps that it will be like in the Gatwick fiasco where being one of the 61 pfco registered operators in that area meant that you were one of the only 61 persons of interest and the two people finally harassed within an inch of their life had committed the unforgivable crime of once owning an RPA and an R/C Helicopter? It's true, and we still have no one apprehended.
Well then, anytime some wacko with an R.P.A. has a brain fart all you pfco's out there can now expect to be detained and searched as you own an R.P.A. and can be "reasonably suspected" as you have the means where as the unregistered, unqualified offender will most likely quietly slip away.
Do yourself a favour and send your politicians the message, No search without judicial oversight!
Police use the "reasonable suspicion" excuse be it relating to drugs, firearms or any premise to detain and search the person, vehicles and homes and otherwise harass myriads of innocent people each day around the western world and have legislative coverage for thuggery in the process. Sadly the police cannot be relied upon to excercise discretion as they rarely have any.
I'm a commercial RPA pilot, someone beaks the law with an R.P.A. in an area near where I am operating, on the way home from work one is seen my car during an unrelated traffic stop ... "bingo ...reasonable suspicion". "You're coming with us lad and we'll take those aircraft until we sort this out" Well, "no you're not and you can think again plod., that's the food on my family's table".
Yes, I'll answer some reasonable questions as to why I have an R.P.A. on me and why I'm in the area, yes I'll show you my credentials. Allow you to trash through my vehicle and tens of thousands of dollars of delicate equipment with the usual gentility and care shown in a police search (being that of a bull elephant) however? Not without a court order and not by anyone not trained to handle the equipment in the appropraite manner you don't, and when you're done I expect to be on my way with my tools of trade, not have to get a lawyer to fight for a month to get them back.
Policing is not easy, it was never MEANT to be easy and it should
NOT be easy. Where policing is made to be easy and routine there liberty is trampled. Why can there always be an argument made for "one more law or restriction" when none is ever accepted for preserving "one last liberty?"
The U.K. has always (like Australia) been an outrageous "nanny state" and the people there (Like Australia) subscribe blindly to the ridiculous notion that the government can protect us from all the evils of the world if we just give them enough legislative authority and surrender enough of our natural rights .... what a future we are leaving for our children.
"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. "
"Edward Abbey"
Rights are existent on their own. Everyone is born in possession of them and they are not "bestowed or granted" by a government or a piece of legislation nor can they be taken away by same. Any law that enables this is a false law and has no moral authority. You can choose to abdicate your rights if you so wish. I do not so choose because I learn from history.
"When the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate
and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights
of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by
patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly
so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."
[Julius Caesar]
Regards
Ari