Surveillance drones and elite police units deployed to COVID-19 hotspots in Melbourne
Surveillance drones and more than 1000 elite Police units have been deployed to COVID-19 hotspots in suburban Melbourne as the southern state of Victoria, Australia struggles to bring a fresh wave of the coronavirus under control.
Surveillance drones and elite police units deployed to COVID-19 hotspots in Melbourne
On Thursday afternoon, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton announced that elite officers, including highway patrol, mounted police, and the critical incident response team will start patrolling COVID-19 hotspots for 24 hours a day, to make sure local residents follow the self-isolation orders.
The surveillance drones will be used to observe and monitor public spaces, Patton added. Anybody caught breaching these restrictions could face a fine of as much as $1,652.
The announcement was made shortly after the state government rolled out stage three ‘stay at home' restrictions in 36 suburbs in Melbourne.
“We will be fining people, there is no doubt about that. For those selfish enough to disregard these warnings from the CHO [Chief Health Officer] … we will be infringing them,” he said, according to Vice News. “The window of police discretion is a very small window at the moment, I can ASSURE you, and it's rapidly closing. While we may have been very lenient in recent times … for the safety of the public that leniency is dissipating day by day.”
The state of Victoria recorded its 17th straight day of double-digit increases in the number of Coronavirus cases on Friday.
What do you think about the police using surveillance drones to monitor public spaces during the coronavirus pandemic? Let us know in the comments below.
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Photo: News.com.au
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