The Dubai Police “will not hesitate” to arrest anyone caught using drones without permission, according to the Commander-in-Chief, Lt.-Gen. Kh amis Mattar Al Mazeina. Sources also added that police air wings are now patrolling the skies of Dubai and Sharjah and conducting surveillance flights to detect the source of drones.

Al Mazeina’s warning follows the forced closure of Dubai International Airport again on Saturday, when an errant unmanned vehicle forced the airport to stop operating between 7.25pm and 8.45pm, the longest recorded closure so far. Over 30 flights were affected.

Additionally, Al Mazeina noted that the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has authorised the enactment of legislation – article no. 12 and no. 7 of 2015 –  that regulates the safety of airspace in Dubai in order to reduce the risk caused by UAVs. Those caught violating the law will face punitive legal action.

Also, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is currently working with companies selling drones in the country to inform all their customers on the regulations around owning drones, and possibly allow sales only to licensed individuals and organisations.

According to Al Mazeina, the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation has been tasked to keep track of the use of drones, and has called on citizens and residents to call 999 or inform the nearby police patrols if they see anyone operating an unlicenced drone.

Other possible solutions

Around the world, a variety of methods and legislations have been put into place or experimented with to try and control the operations of civilian drones in restricted airspace.

Possible solutions that have been proposed include using software that can effectively “hack” a drone, allow authorities to take control of its flight, drone-killing lasers, or even specially-trained birds of prey that can swoop down on drones with their talons.

In Dubai, for example, in April the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) announced that it would introduce software – called the Exponent Portal – that allows DCAA officials and other local authorities to track the location, speed and height of drones, as well as view and record the material being collected by the drone’s on-board camera. The system works through a 160gm add-on that is to be fitted onto drones before flight. Additionally, the software’s ability to monitor the drone’s video feed will allow authorities – such as the Ministry of Defence – to ensure that videos are not taken of sensitive areas.

But Saj Ahmad, Chief Analyst at Strategic Aero Research, told Khaleej Times that technological fixes do not offer long-term solutions to the drone scourge.

“At the moment, we see reactive policies in place, but what’s required is preventive measures that act not just as a warning, but as a stern deterrent,” he said. “Given the array of drone kits, it would be almost impossible to hack into and take control of every single such device.”

“Obviously an extreme measure, but there is scope to target these drones and shoot them down, much in the way birds are scared away,” Ahmad added. “But the impact of debris on the ground could cause more harm than good. For this reason, drones need licensing and heavier policing.”

Ahmad added that the risk of drones causing significant damage – or even the destruction – of an aircraft is increasing “all the time”.

“With some drones the size of a single-seat helicopter, it does fill me with dread that something of that size could cause catastrophic damage to a small airliner, the consequences of which do not bear thinking about.”