Collie Police Senior Sergeant Heath Soutar has urged the community to exercise caution when flying recreational drones around town.
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Senior Sergeant Soutar said police had received a number of complaints from members of the community who were concerned that drones were being used to invade their privacy.
He said with readily-available drones now often coming equipped with cameras, there was concern amongst the community that drones could be used for improper purposes.
“There is a perceived invasion of privacy when flying drones over someone’s house or property,” he said.
“Some people have told us they believe the drones might be used to see what sort of things they have in their backyards, so it’s better to keep drone use to open areas.”
He said legislation around the use of drones was in its infancy, which meant police were limited in how they could respond to its use.
“It’s not a police matter, so there’s not a lot we can do but if you can identify an address where the drone is coming from, we can go and talk to the people involved,” he said.
Collie-Preston MLA Mick Murray said it would take time for drone legislation to be implemented by the federal government.
“While the rules surrounding the use of drones are still in their infancy, it is common sense that one should not invade other people’s privacy by taking photos or videos without their permission,” he said.
“The laws that govern flying drones ... are regulated by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, therefore it is up to the federal government to make any changes necessary to ensure a safer practice of flying drones which will help protect people’s right to privacy.
“Already there is discussion in the federal parliament about an upgrade to the current rules related to drones, both commercial and recreational.”
Under current laws, recreational drones are not allowed to fly higher than 120m high or within 30m of anyone not flying the drone, not allowed to fly over groups of people or in the area of an emergency operation and not allowed to fly at night.
Mr Murray said that if anyone felt their privacy had been breached by drone, they should lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
