In brief: Specialist anti-drone technology and Royal Air Force personnel arrived in Jersey on Sunday evening after drone activity near Jersey Airport caused significant travel disruption over the weekend. A major investigation is under way by the States of Jersey Police, and anyone found to have recklessly endangered an aircraft could face up to five years in prison.
RAF Deployment Follows Weekend of Disruption
The skies above Jersey Airport became rather more eventful than usual over the weekend, and not in a good way. Drone activity in the vicinity of the airport forced Ports of Jersey to close the facility for a period, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded or delayed. It was not until the drone activity had ceased that the airport was able to reopen, the Jersey Evening Post reports.
In response, a Royal Air Force deployment brought specialist anti-drone equipment to the island on Sunday evening. Detective Chief Inspector Chris Beechey, who is leading the police investigation, said the new technology will put Jersey in the “safest possible position” going forward. He declined to elaborate on precisely how the equipment will be deployed, citing “operational reasons”, which is entirely understandable: telling the public exactly how you plan to catch drone operators is a little like announcing where the speed cameras are.
How the Investigation Unfolded
According to DCI Beechey, the States of Jersey Police first became aware of the problem after receiving information from members of the public who had spotted drone activity around the airport. Officers then “immediately convened” in line with what he described as “well-established procedures and policies” with partner agencies.
The decision to close the airport was taken by Ports of Jersey on the basis of that information, with public safety as the overriding priority. DCI Beechey was clear on the sequence of events: “It wasn’t until the drone activity had ceased that we were able to, in conjunction with the Ports, reopen the Airport.”
A major investigation is now under way to identify those responsible. The legal stakes are not trivial. Under the Air Navigation (Jersey) Law, anyone found to have recklessly or negligently acted in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Flying a drone near an airport may feel like a bit of harmless fun to whoever was responsible, but the law takes a rather different view.
Appeal for Information
The States of Jersey Police are appealing for anyone with information that could help identify those responsible to come forward. The public can call 612612, quoting reference M07922/2026, or share information anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Given that the initial alert came from members of the public spotting the drones, the police will be hoping that the same community vigilance that triggered the response in the first place will now help bring the investigation to a conclusion.
Source: Jersey Evening Post
