# Students Treated Like Potential Criminals by Sussex Police After Drone Plans Revealed
Key Highlights :
Students in Brighton are being treated like potential criminals by Sussex Police after the force revealed plans to use a military-style drone to monitor revellers on their nights out. The decision has been heavily criticised by civil liberty campaign group Big Brother Watch, who say it will erode trust between the police and the local community.
However, police bosses say the drone will ensure clubbers “have a safe night out” and it is being used primarily as a crime deterrent. During a launch event outside The Arch nightclub on Brighton beach, Superintendent Adele Tucknott said: “We will be using it to monitor and protect vulnerable people, keep them safe in the night time economy and catch perpetrators. It offers us a wider visibility than officers on foot, and is just another tool in our toolbox to make sure people have a safe night out.”
The drone, which weighs over 3.5 kilograms and carries a range of cameras including night vision, thermal and infrared, will be used to cover all angles of the seafront not only during Freshers’ week but on busy evenings throughout the year. It can also be used as an evidence gathering tool and operators can use a megaphone to speak with revellers or beachgoers from the sky.
Senior advocacy officer at privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, Madeleine Stone, said: “Using military-style surveillance to monitor students is absurd and grossly disproportionate. Monitoring young people with drones won’t prevent crime, but it will erode trust between the police and the local community. This Orwellian approach to policing treats all students like potential criminals and should be abandoned immediately.”
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said the Home Office’s safer streets fund was used to make the drone possible. She said: “The drone can cover a vast area of land really quickly, and can go to places that might be inaccesible to officers. It’s a great piece of kit and will definitely keep people safe. We are one of the most camera-surveilled countries in the UK, but this is just about keeping people safe.”
The decision to use the drone has sparked a debate about the use of surveillance technology and its implications for civil liberties. The UK is currently without an independent CCTV review to assess how, where and why intrusive new forms of video surveillance are being deployed. Whether or not the use of the drone in Brighton is a step too far remains to be seen, but it has certainly raised questions about the way students are being treated by Sussex Police.
