Sinister drones make a 3am call

PEOPLE living at Holloways Beach are furious after finding drones being used to case out homes in the area.

The outrage comes after an anonymous message via the Facebook page Holloways Beach Pelican Post detailed an incident with two drones.

“We had people flying two drones into and entering our yard between 3am and 4am this morning, on Hickory St,” the post read.

A Holloways Beach resident, who lives a street away from the person who wrote the post and wants to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, said she felt “very uneasy” knowing criminals were using the technology.

“The fact criminals are using drones to watch, stalk and find out people’s moves just goes to show how smart they are becoming,” she said.

“To hear it’s happening one street away from my home makes me feel very uncomfortable, which is not right.”

Senior Constable Russ Parker said everyone who owned a drone, no matter their age, needed to be aware of the laws surrounding drone use.

“The rules are clear,” he said.

“You can’t fly drones at night and they have to be in your line of sight.”

“These rules are there for safety and for privacy.

“If somebody filmed a person sunbaking in their backyard, they would be making a recording in breach of privacy.”

Sen Const Parker said Cairns Police would assist the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) with investigations into drone-related incidents.

“As there are more and more drones on the market they get cheaper,” he said.

“We will see more and more drone incidents on our radar.”

He said parents buying drones for their kids had a responsibility to teach their children the laws for drone use.

“They have to make sure their kids are using them wisely and make sure they’re not annoying others,” he said.

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