If you’re worried that we’re living in what many call a ‘big brother state’ you’ll be even more concerned about the prospect of big brother using RC models to spy on British citizens, but that could be the way the UK is heading, if the Home Office has its way. They have suggested that RC planes and RC helicopters are used to keep track of criminals and to provide evidence in order to save police offices from risky situations.
The plan is to fit RC helicopters and planes with cameras and heat seeking equipment, and then monitoring them from a central location. One advantage that RC helicopters and planes have over their real counterparts is that they are much quieter, as an RC helicopter can be almost silent, whereas a real helicopter tends to be very loud, and easily heard and spotted from the ground.
The plan though is likely to be opposed by civil rights activists who believe that using RC models to keep tabs on people is an invasion of privacy.
The Home Office has described its plan to use RC models to monitor crime in its Science and Innovation Strategy. It reads:
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are likely to become an increasingly useful tool for police in the future, potentially reducing the number of dangerous situations the police may have to enter and also providing evidence for prosecutions and support police operations in ‘real time’.