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UK Police Plan To Use Military-Style Spy Drones
krou writes "According to documents obtained by the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act, the UK police plan on deploying unmanned drones in the UK to 'revolutionize policing' and extend domestic 'surveillance, monitoring and evidence gathering,' which will be used in 'the routine work of the police, border authorities and other government agencies.' The documents come from the South Coast Partnership, 'a Home Office-backed project in which Kent police and others are developing a national drone plan' in conjunction with BAE Systems. The stated aim is to introduce the system in time for the 2012 Olympics. Initially, Kent police stated that the system would be used to monitor shipping lanes and illegal immigrants, but the documents reveal that this was part of a PR strategy: 'There is potential for these [maritime] uses to be projected as a "good news" story to the public rather than more "big brother."' However, the documents talk about a much wider range of usage, such as '[detecting] theft from cash machines, preventing theft of tractors and monitoring antisocial driving,' as well as 'road and railway monitoring, search and rescue, event security and covert urban surveillance.' Also, due to the expense involved, it has also been suggested that some data could be sold off to private companies, or the drones could be used for commercial purposes."
V for Vendetta.
Exactly what the difference between using these UAV's and the helicopters that they have already been flying for over a decade, these helicopters have long had the ability to do infrared/night vision. So don't act shocked. Also I see a couple references to 1984 and some fear mongering about it "peering into the windows in my home"; well that is simply fear mongering and don't stress yourself out mentally over it.
These UAV's fly at a certain elevation like they do in America they have to register with their equivalent of the FCC(UK Civil Aviation Authority), so it's not like these UAV's are gonna be flying down in the streets between buildings and looking at people.
If anything I would think this would be a money saver from having to pay 2 pilots six figures and heavy maintenance with a regular helicopter.
You say the word 'UAV' and there is a knee jerk reaction around here to yell about privacy and 1984 for some reason.
Anyways here's a decent link to actually look at what the UAV might look like, although they might scale it down for police use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAE_HERTI
Health Care, Welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Police Surveillance .... it is all the same to me.
I know I'm gonna get modded "troll" for this, but you can't have the Government protect you from everything all the time, UNLESS you're willing to give up essential liberties for the sake of security. You deserve neither security nor liberty!
The problem is that the whole "Do it for the children" argument is used by both Left Wing and Right Wingers alike. It doesn't matter if it is to protect against "starvation" or "molesters"; they are both the same.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
Air surveillance of criminals by fixed wing aircraft, as well as high altitude balloons and satellites has been the norm over some American cities for at least two decades. We even have robotic, miniature submarines that hunt vessels used by drug runners. What most bad guys don't know is how distant a fixed wing aircraft can be and still track a vehicle. In essence if anyone ever wanted to be a criminal the era has come and gone for them. These days they will be caught even though cops may wait years to actually make the arrests which enables them to establish career criminal status and lock these fools up for life without parole.
Upon ascertaining that the jaywalker had returned to his flat at #12, Wellington Gardens, the controller launched a Hellfire missile...
Honestly, the UK is already the most monitored country, with little real result. This won't be any more beneficial to anyone, the authorities included!
Nope. Police, Fire, EMS and Law are all essential, and locally provided services. If I don't like them, I can move to the next town much easier than moving to another state, or country.
As we move those services away from LOCAL control, we lose control over them, and our ability to escape, or change them.
Lets take "HEALTH CARE" as it currently exists in the Senate version (most likely to pass at this moment), do you have ANY ability to have any effective say in the complexity and bribery going on in an effort to "pass" that legislation?
You think it is appropriate for Nebraska, Louisiana, or Unions to get their sweetheart deals at the expense of people who don't belong to those groups?
How about Mass, who already has "Health Care" (which is broke financially), having to give up its version in favor of the garbage of the Senate bill.
And what happens when that bill, should it get passed, doesn't work as they claim? Do we get a chance to just "Scrap" it or will they spend endless amount of time, effort and money trying to "fix" it?
What if I don't get any better Health Care in five years, but actually get "substantially" worse care because, when the crap doesn't work, it is worse than it is now?
What happens when Mexico sends Millions of its sick to the US because ... well it can? You gonna pay for them? You want UNIVERSAL Health Care, are you willing to take every poor person from Latin America in and give up the access you currently have now for it? If not, how many are you willing to take before you get pissed.
These are questions I have, which NO progressive is willing to answer, for whatever reason. Progressives live in a fantasy rose tinted world that has NO basis in reality.
No, you hand a sandwich to someone starving. However I have yet to see someone starving in America go hungry. If someone is a Child Molester, you lock them up and throw away the key.
Both are last resort options. Otherwise I'd much rather have self control and self responsibility be the expectation, rather than Government to the rescue.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.