Police in Brighton fly nightly drone missions to halt a series of sexual assaults

Police in the popular UK coastal city of Brighton have begun flying late-night drone patrols of the beachfront in an effort to halt a recent series of sexual assaults in the area.

Sussex police began deploying the drone above Brighton’s beach zone to monitor people leaving bars, clubs, and other nightspots, and keep watch of those considered potentially vulnerable to attackers. The UAV is equipped with a thermal sensor, spotlight, and speakers, and is primarily being deployed late Saturday and Friday. Those flights are designed, authorities said, to keep “people safe on a night out” by dissuading additional sexual assaults from occurring, and speeding police intervention in the event of violence.

Authorities transferred the drone from accident monitoring and suspect surveillance service in neighboring West Sussex to keep watch of Brighton’s beachfront – the scene of several rapes and other crimes in recent months. Its redeployment also coincides with the looming period of “fresher week” – a start-of-year initiation and celebration rite for students of many UK universities, somewhat similar to the US spring break.

A pair of Sussex Police pilots have begun operating the drone above Brighton’s beach promenade, allowing them to communicate alerts to colleagues posted around the area when a person is identified as potentially vulnerable – or when a lurker raises alarms. 

The aerial approach is expected to be more effective in halting the spate of sexual attacks than foot patrols, which are undermined by both darkness and the difficulty of getting around quickly on the sand.

“It is an extra set of eyes in the sky that gives a completely new perspective of typically harder to reach areas, like the beach, that officers on the ground are as easily able to see,” explained Superintendent Adele Tucknott, Sussex Police’s lead for violence against women and girls. “The primary aim is to prevent crime by helping to spot vulnerable people and criminal behavior, ultimately stopping people coming to harm.”

The drone’s provision and operating costs are being covered by a £300,000 ($368,000) budget for a wider campaign to increase security in Brighton, with a major emphasis on halting the spate of assaults over the summer. 

That move by police follows an aerial safety initiative earlier this year of the private UK company Drone Defence, which pitched authorities its concept of permitting people under threat of attack in public areas to use an app to summon a UAV from a network of craft. After speeding to the scene, the vehicle would use lights and sounds to deter assailants, while capturing video as evidence of intimidation or agression.

Though the drone monitoring mission in Brighton is decidedly less ubiquitous and futuristic in approach, Sussex Police’s Tucknott believes it will prove potent in halting the recent series of sexual crimes.

“This should send a clear message to people wishing to prey on vulnerable people in Sussex that it will not be tolerated, and we will do everything in our power to bring you to justice,” she said. 

Images/Sussex Police