This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/31/photojournalist-police-arrest-drone-complaints

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Photojournalist criticises police after being arrested as he used drone Photojournalist criticises police after being arrested as he used drone
(about 13 hours later)
A freelance photojournalist plans to lodge complaints about police behaviour after he was arrested as he tried to gather aerial images using a drone. A photojournalist has criticised police after he was arrested while flying a camera-equipped drone, and claimed it may be a taste of things to come, with thousands of the gadgets sold at Christmas.
Eddie Mitchell, 49, was attempting to gather footage following a fire in which three people died at a mobile home in Newchapel, Surrey, when he was detained in a field near Gatwick airport. Eddie Mitchell, who works for a range of organisations including the BBC, lodged a complaint on Wednesday with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after his drone was confiscated by police while he was attempting to gather footage following a fire in which three people died at a mobile home in Newchapel, Surrey.
He said he had verbal permission from the landowner to fly the drone when three police officers approached him and one took the controller from him. The 49-year-old, who claims he had verbal permission from the owner of the land above which his drone was flying, said three officers snatched the control from his hands on Tuesday and struggled to land the machine as it flew around 50 metres above a field. He was held on suspicion of a breach of the peace and later freed without charge after more than five hours in police custody.
After handcuffing him, he said, all three officers then tried to land the £1,000 drone themselves as it flew around 150ft above the field. As he retrieved the drone on Wednesday, Surrey police released a statement saying that the arrest was made following complaints from local residents and others in the vicinity of the incident in which a woman and two young children died.
Surrey Police arresting me a UAV Pilot in Gatwick ATZ whilst the UAV is in mid air,released after nearly 5 hours NFA pic.twitter.com/qvg1J5xkh2 Detective Chief Inspector Antony Archibald said that concerns about the behaviour of a man were raised to officers from people who believed he was acting in a disrespectful and intrusive manner.
Mitchell, who works for local and national media organisations including the BBC, was held on suspicion of breach of the peace. He added: “At the time of the arrest, the main focus for officers and fire crew at the scene was to conclude the initial forensic investigation and to allow the dignified removal of the bodies of those who had sadly died.”
The experienced photojournalist is a trained and insured drone pilot who is approved by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to commercially operate small unmanned aircraft (SUA). However, the photojournalist responded by saying that after his arrest, police took him to the camp site where the fire took place and “paraded” him around for 25 minutes.
Mitchell was freed without charge after more than five hours of being held at a police custody suite near Reigate, he said. “I find it a bit hypocritical for the police to suggest that I was being intrustive,” said Mitchell, who is one of the few journalists with approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to commercially operate Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA)Mitchell said he did not need to alert air traffic control as he was operating a drone weighing under 7kg. “The drone was up for about five minutes and then the cops decided to snatch the controller from me.
The father of two from Worthing, West Sussex, said he did not need to alert air traffic control as he was operating a drone weighing under 7kg.
He now plans to lodge complaints about the police’s behaviour with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and the CAA.
Mitchell, who has worked as a photojournalist for 15 years, said: “It is polite and good airmanship to let police at the scene know what you plan to do before putting a SUA up.
“I was well over 50 metres from any property. I just took off, it was a safe flight and it was within CAA guidelines.
“The drone was up for about five minutes and then the cops decided to snatch the controller from me and take control of the SUA.
“It was an incredibly dangerous thing that they did. They didn’t know the dangers that they were putting myself, themselves and passing air traffic in.“It was an incredibly dangerous thing that they did. They didn’t know the dangers that they were putting myself, themselves and passing air traffic in.
“It could have flown off in any direction. They were passing the controller between themselves and eventually got it down with a thud. I still haven’t got it back.” “It could have flown off in any direction. They were passing the controller between themselves and eventually got it down with a thud.”
Surrey Police said the arrest was made following complaints from local residents and others in the area where a mother and her two young children had died. Mitchell predicted that the debate around drone use in general and, in particular, the approach taken by the police towards their use by journalists would continue to come into focus after a Christmas in which thousands were sold.
Detective Chief Inspector Antony Archibald said: “A number of uniformed officers and detectives were sent to the scene of this tragic incident to assist Surrey Fire and Rescue Service with their investigation. “It’s ironic because I happened to have been in a meeting with senior police officers the other day and they said that they thought that using a drone was one of the more sympathetic and non-intrusive ways of getting pictures,” he said.
“While in attendance, concerns about the behaviour of a man were raised to officers from people who believed he was acting in a disrespectful and intrusive manner. “It’s been reported that 20,000 drones were sold over Christmas so there are going to be ongoing problems. They are going to have to probably rewrite the rule book. It’s also ironic that they acted in this case, where it was a qualified pilot at the controls.”
“At the time of the arrest, the main focus for officers and fire crew at the scene was to conclude the initial forensic investigation and to allow the dignified removal of the bodies of those who had sadly died.
“This was a deeply distressing incident which has devastated the community and the impact will be felt for some time. The thoughts of all at Surrey Police are with those affected by the fire.”
A police spokesman said that once the “risk of the breach of the peace” had ended, the man was freed from police custody. The case has emerged amid the growing popularity of drones, which prompted the CAA to recently highlight strict rules recreational users must follow.
Regulations include a ban on flying remote-controlled devices over congested areas or within 50 metres (164ft) of people or buildings without official permission.Regulations include a ban on flying remote-controlled devices over congested areas or within 50 metres (164ft) of people or buildings without official permission.
Breaches can result in the operator being taken to court and fined up to £5,000, and the CAA prosecuted two cases relating to unmanned aircraft in 2014.Breaches can result in the operator being taken to court and fined up to £5,000, and the CAA prosecuted two cases relating to unmanned aircraft in 2014.
In April a man was fined £800 for flying a drone through restricted airspace over a nuclear submarine base in what was thought to be the first such prosecution anywhere in the world.In April a man was fined £800 for flying a drone through restricted airspace over a nuclear submarine base in what was thought to be the first such prosecution anywhere in the world.
The following month a man was fined for flying a quadcopter over a number of rides at Alton Towers in November last year.The following month a man was fined for flying a quadcopter over a number of rides at Alton Towers in November last year.
Surrey Police arresting me a UAV Pilot in Gatwick ATZ whilst the UAV is in mid air,released after nearly 5 hours NFA pic.twitter.com/qvg1J5xkh2