Unmanned Air Systems: Anti-social Behaviour

(asked on 16th June 2025) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to increase police powers to help tackle anti-social behaviour linked to drone use.


Answered by
Mike Kane Portrait
Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This question was answered on 23rd June 2025

There are a range of existing powers to tackle anti-social drone behaviour, this includes the police powers under the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 to require a person to land a drone and to carry out stop and search for certain drone-related offences; and under the Air Navigation Order 2016, it is an offence to endanger an aircraft through non-compliant drone use, punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment.

We work closely with the police and home office to keep the need for powers under review, and from 1 January 2026, Direct Remote ID requirements will come into force for some types of drones (UK1, UK2, UK3, UK5 and UK6 UAS), enabling the police to access location information during flight to support more effective enforcement and deterrence. Remote ID will also increase operator accountability by allowing the unique ID of a drone to be reported and linked to a registered individual, supporting police investigations into misuse.

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