Wagga City Councillor Richard Foley has proposed the use of drones to help pursue people illegally using motorcycles. Photo: Supplied.
Could Wagga Police soon be permitted to use drones to help tackle illegal motorcycle activity in the city?
Wagga Councillors will debate how to tackle the ongoing issue of motorcycle use at this week’s council meeting, with one of the outcomes being to write to the NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Maree Catley, and NSW Police, to engage with the aircraft regulator Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to allow for near-person drone operations.
According to the Notice of Motion presented to council by Cr Richard Foley, the operations would be used for “offender pursuits, supported by safety and privacy safeguards”.
“There are concerns that come summer, the use of bikes will take off again,” he said.
“We really would like to get on top of this as soon as we can. Just a couple of years ago, this poor young girl was injured after a bike hit her from behind while she was racing through Jubilee Park.
“We can’t afford to have that happen again, because eventually it will inevitably lead to a death.”
Cr Foley also wanted to nominate Wagga Wagga as a regional pilot location for the drone trial, which could potentially be used elsewhere across the state.
“We just want our streets to be a lot safer,” Mr Foley said.
“Currently, when bikes get reported to police, by the time they leave the station, [perpetrators have] already left the area. We want to support the police as much as we can, so if [Wagga Wagga City Council] can write to the ministers responsible for the legislation to try and amend it, it can potentially help them out.
“It would be ideal to see a special trial conducted in Wagga to see if the trial would actually work. If it does, it can be used as a blueprint that can be used across the state.”
Cr Foley said local police are consistently updating WWCC about the ongoing issues illegal motorcycles are causing and how new technology can support them.
“After meetings with senior police, the reality is that the technology to support them is there,” he said.
“There’s obviously a concern around privacy and people not wanting drones looking into people’s backyards. I’m not a Big Brother-type person, but I do think that if there’s an incident or report to the police, we should be able to activate the drones. That way, they’re still effective without hovering over people’s houses all day.
“With all that said, there’s no circumstance where they’ll be used to watch people in their backyards. Police wouldn’t be allowed to do that by law anyway. They’d need a specialised warrant.
“In this case, the drones will be specifically used for pursuits.”
The councillor conceded there were still a number of regulatory hurdles to overcome in getting the NSW Government and regulator CASA on board with the idea.
However, he said he consistently liaises with local Neighbourhood Watches who have expressed concerns about the heightened use of motorcycles in the warmer months.
In addition to the use of drones, Cr Foley is also seeking to make it more difficult for motorcyclists to use pedestrian paths in hot zones.
“I’ll also be looking to put appropriate barriers across certain laneways around playing fields, where bikes are often seen,” he said.
“It would allow prams and emergency services to come through, but would make it difficult for the bikes to get through and take off.”
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