UK Ministry of Defense has announced that teams of officers in hazmat suits could be replaced by drones and robots to investigate crime scenes where chemicals were used, such as the novichok poisonings in Salisbury.
According to a report by accountants from PwC, drones may boost the UK economy by £42 billion ($56bn) by 2030, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process and lifting the GDP by almost 2%. The report predicts that billions will be saved by working more efficiently with drones than with traditional means such as helicopters for instance. Industries that will be impacted by drones are agriculture, mapping and surveying, construction, inspection, stock management and more.
We already reported on a new law coming into effect in the UK, that would grant police officers more powers to ground drones and to increase the criminal penalties associated with flying drones in an unsafe or illegal manner. Well, today we are one step closer to that new reality for hobbyist and commercial drone pilots in the United Kingdom, as the Department for Transport has announced a raft of new police powers as part of a crackdown on the civilian use of drones.
According to a transport minister, there have been more than 50 near-misses between drones and manned aircraft, including this one at Gatwick Airport, during the last twelve months in the United Kingdom. Drone users will face new restrictions starting in 2018. A new proposed law will likely give the police new powers to land drones suspected of involvement in criminal activity and will restrict drone use near airports.