Orwell Rolls in Grave as Police Roll Out Unprecedented Drone Air Force to “Track Anti-Social Behaviour”

The Devon and Cornwall police force, tasked with the patrol of the largest geographical area in England, are pioneering perpetual drone surveillance by establishing an unprecedented 24-hour drone surveillance of its patrol area set to begin this summer.

The police drones, also identified as “unmanned aerial systems,” have undergone smaller tests last year. Multiple reports state that the drones will mostly be used for locating crime suspects and missing persons as well as surveillance of crime scenes.

Steve Barry, the UK’s National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman regarding police drones, touted the cost savings of choosing these devices rather than deploying police helicopters; according to a report from The Daily Mail, Barry predicts “forces across Britain would soon be using them as they are cheaper than helicopters and can perform some duties of bobbies on the beat.” The does not specify how deeply these police drones will be able to inspect individuals, including in regards to audio capacity.

The Mail noted that Barry has pondered the possibility of drones replacing some officers and said “there may be an opportunity at some point in the future to rationalise what we need our cops to do because we find drones can do it more effectively and more cost-efficiently.” However, Barry did not indicate that he approves of a reduced police force in favor of the devices, and other officers and experts were quoted in the report as viewing drones as a supplement for police rather than their replacement.

Drones indeed have a unique ability to scope areas that officers cannot approach on foot.  A report published by the Cato Institute acknowledged that drones “allow police to investigate dangerous situations such as bomb threats and toxic spills.” These devices can seen as an advantage for civilians in peril, but they also serve as a troubling mechanism of undermining the personal privacy of a large population.

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The Daily Mail highlighted how drones are useful for aerial footage of crime scenes, but also pointed to their use in monitoring “protests, sieges and football matches,” and noted that they “have been tested for use in terror attacks and to track anti-social behavior.”

The use of drones as a law enforcement tool has been taking place for years. Since the beginning, civil liberties advocates have warned of the consequences that heightened, innovative surveillance can unleash on the populace. Drones “deployed without proper regulation, drones equipped with facial recognition software, infrared technology, and speakers capable of monitoring personal conversations would cause unprecedented invasions of our privacy rights.

Interconnected drones could enable mass tracking of vehi­cles and people in wide areas. Tiny drones could go completely unnoticed while peering into the window of a home or place of worship,” the ACLU advises. While the 24-hour drone surveillance initiative is based in one large area of England and has yet to be introduced publicly in the United States, Cato cautions that the courts have yet to tackle drones and their capability to obstruct our Fourth Amendment.

The Devon and Cornwall police are currently recruiting a “drone manager” to oversee this new program. The law enforcement agency is also expressing confidence that this program will motivate police across the country to follow their lead. “‘I would not be at all surprised if other forces follow in due course – the question is not whether they will, it’s when,” Barry said.

London Attacker Is Khalid Masood, 52-Year-Old Brit With Prior Criminal Convictions

After yesterday"s snafu, in which the London attacker was incorrectly named as an Islamic "hate preacher" who however turned out to be in prison at the time of the attack, moments ago UK police said that the man they believe to be responsible for the terrorist attack in Westminster yesterday has been formally identified as Khalid Masood.

Masood, aged 52 (Dec 25, 1964), was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases. Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.

However, as the Telegraph reports, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.

More details from the Police statement:

Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.

However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences.

His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife.

He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.

Anyone with any information about Masood is requested to call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 321.

Most Government Workers Could Be Replaced By Robots, New Study Finds

Submitted by Emily Zanotti via HeatSt.com,

A study by a British think tank, Reform, says that 90% of British civil service workers have jobs so pointless, they could easily be replaced by robots, saving the government around $8 billion per year.

The study, published this week, says that robots are “more efficient” at collecting data, processing paperwork, and doing the routine tasks that now fall to low-level government employees. Even nurses and doctors, who are government employees in the UK, could be relieved of some duties by mechanical assistants.

There are “few complex roles” in civil service, it seems, that require a human being to handle.

“Twenty percent of public-sector workers hold strategic, ‘cognitive’ roles,” Reform’s press release on the study says. “They will use data analytics to identify patterns—improving decision-making and allocating workers most efficiently.

“The NHS, for example, can focus on the highest risk patients, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions. UK police and other emergency services are already using data to predict areas of greatest risk from burglary and fire.”

The problem, Reform says, is that public sector employee unions have bloated the civil service ranks, forcing government agencies to keep on older employees, and mandating hiring quotas for new ones. The organizational chart looks like a circuit board—and there’s no incentive to streamline anything.

Unfortunately for civil service workers, it seems the study is just the latest in a series of research  that won’t save their jobs. Oxford University and financial services provider Deloitte, both of whom comissioned their own studies concur with Reform‘s conclusions. The Oxford University study said that more than 850,000 public sector jobs could fall to robots over the course of the next decade.

Reform suggests that government employees should probably look into opportunities presented by the “sharing economy,” like driving for Uber – at least until robots replace those, too.