Police drones to follow clubbers on nights out after rise in sexual assaults

28 September 2023 , 21:59

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Sussex Police will be patrolling a half mile stretch in Brighton (Image: ITV)

Police in a major UK city centre are using drones to follow revellers due to a rise in rapes and sexual assaults, sparking debate over whether such efforts are "draconian".

Officers in Brighton will implement the measure in response to five attacks that already took place this month, with three men arrested. Sussex Police confirmed officers were on the ground during Freshers' Week and said specialist operators will monitor a half mile stretch of beach between the Palace Pier and i360 - where numerous offences have taken place. The equipment has already been used in other parts of Sussex such as Bognor and Worthing.

The high-tech drones have already been used in other parts of Sussex (ITV)

Officers say it allows them to have a wider amount of visibility, reports ITV News. However, the news has caused a divide in opinions. Sussex Students' Union hit out at the move and said it "contributes to an increasingly pervasive surveillance society.

A spokesman told The Argus: "It is troubling that Sussex Police are planning to deploy drones to monitor the night-time economy of Brighton, particularly during freshers' week. Such intrusive surveillance raises questions about privacy and civil liberties."

Business student Giovanni Favaloro, 19, said: "I'm not too happy with this. It feels a bit draconian to be filmed like this without our permission. Unlike CCTV which is in a fixed location, this can be used to follow you around. I don't get up to any trouble but I don't want to feel like I'm constantly being watched."

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Some students said the drone is an invasion of privacy (ITV)

However, psychology student Polly Smith said: "The rises in spiking and sexual violence is getting so high that the police need to do what they need to do." Another person commented: "If it’s the clubs on the sea front then yes. A few inebriated people go in to the sea and get into trouble."

Superintendent Adele Tucknott, Sussex Police’s lead for tackling violence against women and girls, said: "Everyone deserves to have safe night out. We want people to have the confidence to come to the city, or anywhere in the county, and know we’ve got these measures in place. But we also want to send a message to anyone that wants to come and commit crime that we have this tool and can monitor and stop it while it happens."

Monica Charsley