Drones and spy balloons for our crime fight
Dear Editor,
One of the biggest problem with police fighting crime is terrain. Most of these criminals have a lot of escape routes when the police come for a raid or in controlling the space in a state of emergency. No matter how good a security force team is, once criminals know a terrain they will always escape.
Many will argue that the police should try to know the area well, but it will be difficult for our police to plan for escape routes in these unplanned, informal settlements.
So, what’s the solution for assisting police in raids and also to acquire intelligence?
I say the use of drones and spy balloons are the solution, not closed circuit television (CCTV).
A CCTV system, in our instance, is unrealistic to right crime in these communities. CCTV usage in Jamaica should be for public areas to deal with public law and order, especially in dealing with traffic offences.
Drones would be useful hours before a police operation and will also provide the ability and advantage to the security team to track these criminals when they are escaping. We would have fewer criminals escaping to other communities and in other parishes to create havoc. There are even covert drones that can track suspicious activity in out waters. The time has come when this is the calibre of technology we need to fight crime.
Additionally, spy balloons should be strategically placed in order to provide surveillance of criminal activities. This type of technology is not visible to wrongdoers, and among other positives of this technology is that it can be airborne for up to 72 hours, can cover a distance of up to 1,500 feet and over 5 kilometres. This technology is being used in India and the United States and many countries source it from Israel. Our current Government seems to be in a good relationship with Israel, so let us explore the sharing of this technology.
What’s more, this technology can also assist in times of flooding, earthquake and other natural disasters. It has also been used in crowd management for large events. Let’s make use of these useful tools.
Teddylee Gray
Ocho Rios, St Ann
teddylee.gray@gmail.com