The possibilities and challenges of UAV implementation in Serbian police

Abstract

Police officers are engaged daily on collection of the data necessary for carrying out tasks within their responsibilities. Sometimes this data has to be collected immediately (e.g., police intervention is in progress), while in other situations there will be more time available for data collection. In both cases an aerial perspective can be of great value in gathering critical information for law enforcement. For a long time aerial support to police operations was provided by manned aircraft (usually helicopters). Because of technology development during the last decade, law enforcement organizations are turning more and more to cheaper, smaller and stealthier unmanned aerial vehicles popularly called drones. They proved themselves as beneficial to various police branches – from traffic and border police, to tactical units and forensic units. At the same time, their implementation into policing raises significant privacy concerns. Hence their implementation must be followed by strict legal provisions which will regulate the way they can be used. Having this in mind this paper explains the most common ways UAV can complement or substitute existing helicopter unit in Serbia and legal challenges their implementation poses.