The police in Uppsala are monitoring Gränby, Sävja, Gottsunda and Stenhagen with drones

Drones, or Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) as the police themselves call it, should be seen as a complement to other police work. Applications can include everything from documentation of fire sites to scouting or pure subsequent hunting in the event of ongoing crime.

"The basic purpose is to prevent, detect and prevent crimes," says Jonas Eronen, the police spokesperson in Uppsala.

The police drone business has grown from a handful of 2018 to several hundred today. Operations are expected to increase further in 2020. For Uppsala, it is partly about particularly vulnerable areas, but also areas that the police identify as extra risky when it comes to crime.

The surveillance will be conducted as a complement to the police patrol and other security-creating measures in the areas. Flying camera surveillance may occur around the clock in public places, police say.

The police can send their drones in Gränby, Sävja, Gottsunda and Stenhagen at any time. In other districts, decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Supervision of the police work with drones holds the Data Inspectorate.

- As a private person, you have rights when it comes to integrity in connection with camera surveillance. But it can be contrasted with the police's willingness to film - provided they have made the assessment that filming is needed. It is a case-by-case trade-off, but it can be easily explained that if the reasons are such, the police have that right, says Nils Hencke, lawyer at the Data Inspectorate.

If this is the area of ​​conflict then between the rights?

- It is a case-by-case balance, but the police make the assessment when there are reasons - and then of course the reasons should be of a kind that justifies the measures. As an authority now, we are initially working hard to teach the police to do right. They are an authority that should follow the law like everyone else. They have no desire to go against the law, and right now we are working closely with them to teach them these issues.

What can the Data Inspectorate do if the law is violated?

- We, as an authority, have the opportunity to start supervisory matters and demand a penalty if we make that assessment.

The decision that has been made is valid from January 2020 and three months ahead.