Letter of the Day | What happens when the threat flies over the fence?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I am writing to highlight the possible threats posed by drones. Joe Morgan examines the issue in ‘The Airspace Gap: Rethinking Security in a Drone-Enabled World’,published in ASIS’s Security Technology in August.

Drones support legitimate activities, including inspections, mapping and emergency response. Their presence alone does not establish hostile intent. However, unauthorised activity could expose sensitive operations, carry contraband or create safety risks. Officers need to report what they observe without making unsupported assumptions about a drone’s purpose.

Consider a hypothetical situation. A drone repeatedly hovers near windows on the upper floors. The officer notices it but assumes someone is taking photographs. The post instructions say nothing about aerial activity, and no briefing has addressed drone sightings. The aircraft leaves without a report. Management later asks why the officer did nothing.

The officer’s judgement deserves examination. Management should also establish whether clear instructions and appropriate training were provided. Otherwise, the review risks treating an organisational gap as an individual failure, leaving the same uncertainty for whoever works the next shift.

Preparation should match the site’s exposure. Officers do not need to watch the sky continuously or neglect entrances while searching for aircraft. Where the assessment identifies aerial risk, they should know which observed activities warrant reporting and how that responsibility fits into their patrols and monitoring duties.

Training can begin with describing the activity rather than guessing the intention. Useful observations include location, movement, duration and proximity to people or sensitive areas. Officers should practise passing that information to an accessible supervisor who can check whether the flight is authorised and coordinate escalation. Specialist identification and intervention require appropriate training, clear authority and approved procedures.

Authorised flights need communication too. The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority states that professional drone operators, whether commercial or non-commercial, require a Special Aerial Work Permit before each flight. Organisations commissioning such services should verify applicable approvals and tell personnel on duty what activity to expect and whom to contact.

A short exercise can reveal whether these arrangements work. Introduce an unexplained drone sighting during a busy shift. Check whether the officer describes the activity accurately, reaches the responsible supervisor, and receives confirmation of whether the flight is authorised. Attendance at a briefing alone cannot demonstrate readiness.

If aerial risk matters to the organization, preparation must reach every shift. The officer at the gate should know when to report a drone and what happens next.

RENE WATKIS