Southern police have begun deploying drones to crime scenes, but a civil liberties advocate has raised concerns over their use as a surveillance tool. A Dunedin drone contractor, who declined to be named, said he was approached by a third party on behalf of police about applying for the tender. New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties chairman Thomas Beagle said he had no issue in principle with police using drones if they were simply to replace existing photographic capabilities. However, he drew the line at police using drones as a proactive surveillance tool. I don't think we want drone surveillance to be normalised.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 04, 2019 15:33 UTC