There has been an increase in incidents concerning drones across Greater Manchester in the last year.
Two hundred and twenty five were recorded in 2016, compared to one hundred in the previous year and just fourteen in 2014.
Freedom of Information requests from the Press Association showed Greater Manchester the second highest place in the country, only behind Sussex.
Nationwide, more than ten incidents such as snooping, burglary “scoping” exercises, mid-air near misses and smuggling contraband into prisons, led to 3,456 being recorded last year, compared with just 283 in 2014, and 1,237 in 2015.
The findings,coincide with a jump in the popularity of the remote-controlled devices. Available for as little as £30 and often boasting built-in cameras, sales of the gadgets have risen sharply in recent years.
Police forces in the UK were asked for data on incidents they recorded involving drones in 2014, 2015 and 2016. There were consecutive year-on-year rises in most areas and in some cases the tallies soared from only a handful to three-figure totals.
Professor David H Dunn, of Birmingham University, said people face a “major challenge” in maintaining their privacy at home because of the proliferation of drones. He said: “Previously you had a hedge, you had a wall and you could do whatever you wanted in your garden without people disturbing you. That has changed because of drones.”
“It’s true for celebrities. It’s true for everyone. Anecdotally I’ve heard that burglars using drones is a big issue for police forces.
“People are using them to fly behind properties to see if the lights are on, to see what sort of French windows they have or whether there are windows open.”
Drone users must follow restrictions on flying them near crowds, people and built-up areas. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for drones, said: “As awareness of what drones are and what they can do continues to grow, police forces have seen increases in concerns and reports by the public.
“We have to balance the growth of this technology by ensuring that the public are aware of the strong regulatory framework and detailed user guidance that is available relating to drone use.” Ministers are considering a number of additional safety measures, including mandatory registration of new drones.
