ABSTRACT
Drones are being used—and are likely to be increasingly used—in peacetime policing. For the time being, the types of activities state authorities conduct with drones in peacetime are mainly related to surveillance. The likelihood that drones could be armed to use force domestically in order to maintain or restore public security, law, and order in the near future should, however, not be underestimated. This is even more so if one takes into account advances in technology and the fact that, today, drones come not only in the shape of large unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV), but may also be miniature aerial—and sometimes weaponized—systems. In the multifaceted fight against terrorism, armed drones have moreover been widely used against persons extraterritorially, including outside armed conflict situations. Even in armed conflicts, drones may be used—like in peacetime—to conduct law enforcement activities (e.g. to deal with riots or other forms of civilian unrest).
