Drone army cannot replace beat bobbies

WHEN it comes to keeping the peace, it is hard to imagine a more disquieting notion than an army of police drones silently patrolling the skies over Britain.

Truly, this is a dystopian vision – and yet it is one step closer to reality, as two forces prepare to launch the first drone squad and 19 others experiment with the technology.

Yes, there may be instances, such as when tracking fleeing suspects, in which using drones rather than expensive helicopters make sense.

But barely has the idea been raised than drones are floated as a possible excuse for having fewer officers, at a time when the bobby on the beat is already an endangered species.

Can our politically correct police chiefs not see that a simpler way to save money would be to end the ludicrous witch-hunts which – to name just one – saw 20 officers raid war hero Lord Bramall’s house? Drones must not become another excuse for police to abandon the streets.

But more than anything, their spread will raise privacy concerns. If this is the thin end of a wedge that ends with a permanent force of electronic monitors hovering above every town and city, the public will feel a deep sense of unease. The State- funded eye in the sky snooping on our every move is the stuff of Orwellian nightmares.