Cops warn of drone crime spike thanks to scammers, burglars and PAEDOS taking to using flying cams
Crimes involving shop-bought 'copters have increased four-fold, say police
POLICE have witnessed a fourfold rise in crime reports involving shop-bought drones - amid fears paedophiles are using them over children's playgrounds, reports.
Peeping toms are also allegedly spying through bedroom windows, burglars are scouting out properties and cashpoint scammers could secretly be recording PIN numbers.
The number of incidents reported to the police surged from 94 in 2014 to 425 in 2015.
There have been reports of drones flying over children's areas in Kingswinford, Dudley and schools in Hemel Hempstead and Northumbria.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland reported an incident in June last year where a drone was allegedly used to film a cash point in Templepatrick as people entered their pin codes.
Sexual offences involving a drone were reported in both London and south Wales, with the Metropolitan Police referring to a case of "voyeurism" and the Welsh force revealing a drone had been used to record footage of a young woman undressed in her apartment.
The police also include reports of drones endangering flights and being exploited by criminal gangs to transport drugs, often into prisons.
A range of drones are available to buy without any registration or permit. Speeds range as high as 70mph and altitudes reach up to 10,000ft, making them a threat to aircraft flying in and out of airports.
David Dunn, a professor at Birmingham University who led research into unmanned aerial vehicles, told : "There needs to be regulation and there needs to be systematic attempts to educate the public.
"At the moment, you can by one of these things in a supermarket without any safeguards. We are lacking accountability or a deterrence.";
He said the terror threat was a "massive concern" to law enforcement agencies, adding" These machines have the ability to actually deliver drugs into prisons, to deliver sim cards into prisons."
The report revealed a significant number of sightings of drones around prisons.
At HM Prison Leicester, legal highs and a mobile phone were caught in netting around the perimeter and drugs were also found attached to a drone by Sherwood prison.
Steve Barry, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "We have issued guidance to all forces on how to respond to drone misuse.
"Work is ongoing to better understand the threat posed by drones and to develop an appropriate technical response.
"We are working with the Home Office on how drones might be used to enhance operational capability in law enforcement, including for support for emergency response or for public order events."