The Council of State gives the green light to the use of drones by the police

For the Board of state, the use of drones equipped with cameras by the forces of order does not contravene the law. The highest French administrative court validated their employment on Wednesday in an order reported by AFP, judging that it “ there is no serious doubt about the legality “. A decree was published on April 20, allowing law enforcement to use drones in the context of ” the prevention of attacks on the safety of persons and property in particularly exposed places ».

In a tweet, the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin saluted ” very good news for our fellow citizens “. ” The Council of State reframes in part, but it returns the ball to the courts considering that the guarantees exist (…) If the fixed framework does not stand the test of reality, it will quickly be necessary to come back again before the Council of State “, warned the lawyer Jean-Baptiste Soufron, who defends the Association for the Defense of Constitutional Freedoms (Adelico), at the origin of the seizure in summary proceedings.

A “test” in view of the Games?

This device is part of the law on criminal responsibility and internal security, adopted in December 2021. Its nature and its practice have been criticized by many associations, wishing to ban it. The drones flew over some May Day protestsa few days after the publication of the decree.

The scope of these drones covers ” prevention of acts of terrorism “, there ” transport flow regulation ” or ” surveillance of borders with a view to combating their regular crossing ” And ” helping people “. On May 2, the prefect of police of Paris Laurent Nunez had ensured on France info that drone experiments are a “ test to near one of the Olympic Games in Paris.