Police Face New Frontier with Surge in Drone Crimes. (Image: Yonhap)
JEJU, Aug. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Apprehending criminals who secretly take illicit photographs on land is hard enough. Trying to prevent such crimes from happening in the sky is an even more difficult task.
In the evening of August 4, a call was made to the Jeju Police Department reporting an unusual sight. Two drones were hovering up in the night sky in front of an apartment suite with open windows. According to the caller, the drones flew away after staying in place for an extended period of time.
Though no one was apprehended, the sighting raised the question of whether the drones were secretly filming the inside of the apartment. Police did not arrest anyone in relation to the incident.
Last month, police did, however, arrest a man for using his drone to film women bathing in an open-air pool. (Image: Yonhap)
Last month, police did, however, arrest a man for using his drone to film women bathing in an open-air pool. Though it was shielded from outside view by a stone wall, this obviously presented no problem to the man’s aircraft, which like the drones on the evening of August 4, hovered in place above the wall.
Despite the successful capture of the drone pilot, the case is an ominous sign of things to come. Compared to zero reports last year, there have been nine reports regarding unwanted filming by drones as the weather has gotten warmer.
As a response, the police are hoping to educate the public about suspicious drone activity through large posters and by beefing up the radar technology employed to detect drones in no-fly zones. However, smart individuals with bad intentions are often one step ahead, as there are reported cases where certain drones can fly undetected by the police.
Both the police and the victims of such ill-intentions will face the fight against harassment on two fronts: land and air.
S.B. Woo (sbw266@koreabizwire.com)
