By Peter Sanders, Genevieve Blandin de Chalain and James Paras, ABC
NSW Police drones have been deployed at Moree in the state's north-west. Photo: NSW Police via ABC
Authorities are moving to reassure the public that police drones now flying over a town in north-west NSW will not be used for everyday surveillance.
A six-month trial will see officers at the PolAir base at Sydney's Bankstown Airport remotely controlling drones that can be launched from a rooftop in Moree.
NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said the airborne cameras would be used to feed back live video to assist police on the ground.
"This about keeping the community safe and tackling crime, it has nothing to do with surveillance," she said.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the drones would be used in a similar way to helicopters or planes.
"This is not about surveillance, it is the ability to put up a remotely piloted aircraft for an emergency where there is an operational matter like a break and enter," he said.
But the commissioner appeared to contradict his position on when the drones would be in the air when asked about privacy issues.
"We will not be recording flights when they are up in the air unless they are responding to a particular incident that is a crime," he said.
"Its not going to be flying around and looking into people's backyards.
"This is not about surveillance, it is about responding to crime and making sure we take prompt action."
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon (centre) with Police Minister Yasmin Catley (left) at the drone launch in Moree. Photo: ABC / James Paras
Why Moree?
Commissioner Lanyon said Moree was one of the first places he visited after taking over the state's top policing role.
"There had been a number of serious crimes out here," he said.
"They have a disproportionate impact on a community like Moree.
"We needed somewhere to trial this, it's well remote to Sydney, it's the perfect location to test that it works."
Moree mayor Susannah Pearse said residents were "fed up" with the high crime rate.
"There are people in this community who will tell you that they have been suggesting that drones would help here on the ground for years," she said.
"When they see a drone go up in the sky they get a bit excited, and they know that is a sign that police are working to look after our community."
Operation Soteria was launched in March last year with the stated aim of targeting up to 100 young "ringleaders" committing violent crimes in the state's north and west.
NSW Police launched Operation Soteria almost a year ago to target violent crimes in the state's north and west. Photo: ABC / Ethan Rix
Early figures indicate it may be having an impact.
The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) measures youth crime by calculating the number of 10-17 year olds police have taken legal action against per 10,000 in any given area.
The New England-North West region had the fourth highest rate of offending in the state in 2024/25 with 547.3, down from 713.7 the previous year.
Privacy concerns
Police across Australia have been using drone technology for several years.
In 2018, Western Australia police started using drones in search and rescue operations, evidence gathering, crash scene mapping, crowd monitoring, and overhead surveillance for officers on the ground.
But Nadine Miles, the principal legal officer at the NSW/ACT Aboriginal Legal Service, said in a statement that the limited information available about the Moree trial suggested there was significant risk of covert surveillance.
"Not only does the use of police drones to live stream from over Moree township risk serious impacts on individuals' right to peaceful enjoyment of private property, it risks further entrenching mistrust of police and changing the way everyday people use public space," she said.
Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said in a statement that while drone technology could support police in improving community safety, it also had the potential to intrude on private rights.
"I have concerns about whether the use of drones in this trial is consistent with the safeguards set out in NSW law, and I would welcome clarity from NSW Police about how this program complies with the relevant legislative requirements governing surveillance," she said.
Police Commissioner Lanyon said they have been working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to meet legislative requirements.
Catley said the trial would attract attention from around the country and overseas.
"It will be watched by all law enforcement officers, certainly across Australia but probably more broadly … in the Asia-Pacific region," the police minister said.
"Being able to remotely control these devices is a real game changer.
"I think this is something that we will be looking at as a government to roll out much further, and particularly in regional NSW."
- ABC
