Latvian prison authority worried about drones flying over correctional facilities

Drones flying over prisons in Latvia are causing headaches to authorities as the unmanned aircraft are used not only to deliver forbidden things to inmates but also for spying purposes.

Lack of legislative regulation makes it especially difficult for prison staff to tackle the problem, Ilona Spure, the head of the Latvian Prison Administration, told members of the Latvian parliament defense, interior and anti-corruption committee on Tuesday.

Shooting the drones down is not an option under current laws, because each such aircraft has an owner. Although Latvia's civil aviation law forbids flying aircraft over correctional facilities, Spure does not believe drone owners could be deterred by the ban.

There have been days when prison employees have reported simultaneous sightings of drones over several prisons, Spure said, adding that one such aircraft had been used to drop a bundle in a prison's territory. One unmanned vehicle was stopped after it hit a prison building on its flight, she said.

"Aerial filming has also been noticed over Riga Central Prison, and the footage was later posted on the Internet," Spure said.

After consulting foreign colleagues, the Latvian Prison Administration has come to the conclusion that first it is necessary to wait for an EU-wide regulation and then work out a national solution based on these guidelines. Endit