Anders Martinsen in Kristiansand, news shows one of the smaller drone types that many Norwegians have now acquired. The flying gadget quickly rises above our heads and appears quite harmless. But it can pose a big risk if used incorrectly, says Martinsen. – The rotors are like small rotating razor blades. They can hurt people badly in the face and hands. Before he steers the drone into the air, he therefore checks the weather conditions and that there are no people in the area where he is going to fly. The drone goes from side to side at the edge of the quay in Kristiansand. In addition to navigating drones, Martinsen is the managing director of UAS Norway. It is the trade organization for professional drone operators. Anders Martinsen in the industry organisation, UAS Norway, fears more accidents due to of lack of control with drone flight. Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / news There he works actively to improve the control of the flying craft for both professionals and amateurs. – More and more people are getting drones. Now there are thousands of such flying around freely without any particular chance of being checked by the police. He believes that the aviation authorities have relatively good control over drone flights around the airports. But otherwise, game is often free, he says. – It constantly creates dangerous situations. It can also destroy other drone flying that benefits society. – The police lack routines There are very detailed rules that you have to familiarize yourself with in order to fly legally. And people who want this must also register with the Norwegian Aviation Authority. Almost 24,000 drone users have done so this year. It is the police who must control all flights that take place outside the airports. But the critics believe that this happens to a very small extent. – The agency has no good routines in this area. We have long tried to find examples of checks by the police. We have not found this, says Martinsen. The rotors on even small drones are razor sharp and can seriously injure people if used incorrectly, says Martinsen. Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / news In the vicinity of the airports, the situation is completely different. Here, Avinor is responsible and uses an advanced detector system. This should detect drone flight within a radius of 5 km. The police only exceptionally use the same system for the rest of the country. Chief of staff in the Agder police district, Vidar Arnesen, admits that it is demanding to enforce this. And he says it is therefore not a high priority. – We do not have electronic equipment that can find drones and pilots. It is therefore a demanding task. Arnesen confirms that there are very few cases the police have investigated in Agder. But a few exceptions. – During Arendal Week, three drone operators were fined. The police then had equipment in place that made it possible to locate the drones and pilots. No overview news has several times asked the Norwegian Police Directorate (POD) for a national overview of the number of reports and reactions to illegal flights. But beyond 55 cases that were reported from Avinor and from the airports, so far this year, the police have no figures to release on cases that come from their own ranks. POD believes there is no basis for saying anything about what proportion of illegal drone flights are reported. Løkenflaen confirms that there is probably a lot of illegal flying that does not appear in the crime statistics. Section chief in POD, John-Magnus Løkenflaen, has no reliable figures to give news about how much the police control and fine illegal drone flying. Photo: Birgitte Wold Ingebretsen – Dangerous at Trolltunga The general manager of Trolltunga AS, Åse Marie Evjen in Ullensvang, can tell you that drones in the wrong place at the wrong time can be a problem. – There is some unreasonable use of drones on Trolltunga that worries us, she says. Those responsible at Trolltunga fear that people will be distracted by drones and fall off the edge, 700 meters above Ringedalsvatnet. Photo: Tale Hauso / news According to Evjen, the problem is that drones are flown at the tourist attraction when there are many people out and about. 700 meters above Ringedalsvatnet. – We are most afraid of tourists falling over the edge when they look for drones or are distracted by them. We see that it also flies low over people’s heads. Evjen wants a ban on flying in the area when there are many people there. And she believes the rules must be simplified and better communicated. Åse Marie Evjen in Trolltunga AS fears accidents due to of approaching drones on Trolltunga in Hardanger. Photo: Tale Hauso / news Hits police and fire service The police and fire service also notice challenges with private drones that fly without permission. The agencies themselves use this tool at fires, accidents, search operations and at crime scenes. Vidar Arnesen in the Agder police says they have several examples. – We have had some unfortunate cases where private individuals have used drones during ongoing campaigns, without permission. Vidar Arnesen of the Agder police confirms that there are few cases that have been reported and investigated in the region. Photo: Espen Bierud / news These quickly come into conflict with the police’s own drones. And it is also demanding if you e.g. will have an ambulance helicopter down there. He says the police have contacted those responsible for this drone flight. But no fines have been issued. The fire service in Kristiansand has also experienced private drone flights over fire areas. Among other things, during a fire in several terraced houses on Hellemyr in July. – We are in an early phase with the use of drones in the fire service here. But we fear that this could become a bigger challenge in the future. That’s what the head of the emergency department, Vidar Ekse, says. news learns that heavier drones will also have been flown directly over the audience during the Palmesus festival in the same city in 2022. The police cannot confirm this. Drones are said to have been flown directly over thousands of spectators during Palmesus in 2022. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news
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– Free game in the air. The police do not have control over the drones – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
