The Police will be charging a 35-year-old man and a 66-year-old man for offences under the Air Navigation Act and Air Navigation Order on 9 June 2020.
The involvement of the two men are as follows:
- A police report was lodged on 13 October 2019 regarding the sighting of an unmanned aircraft (UA) flying in the immediate vicinity of the MINDEF Gombak Base, a protected area. Through ground enquiries, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of the 35-year-old man who is believed to have operated the UA. Investigations revealed that he had also operated the UA on six other occasions between May 2019 and October 2019 at the same location without a permit. He had also taken aerial view videos using the UA which was flown into the airspace above the Gombak Base. For taking four videos showing the aerial view of the Gombak Base, the man will be charged with four counts of prohibited photography over a protected area using a UA, punishable under section 7(2A) of the Air Navigation Act. For flying his UA into the airspace above Gombak Base on five separate occasions, the man will be charged with five counts of operating a UA over a protected area punishable under section 7A(2A) of the Air Navigation Act. For operating his UA at an altitude above 200 feet on all seven occasions, the man will be charged with seven counts of failure to obtain a permit to operate a UA under paragraph 72F(2) read with paragraph 72D(c) of the Air Navigation Order, which is punishable under paragraph 80(5) of the Air Navigation Order.
- On 23 September 2019, the Police received a report on a UA recovered from the roof of Tampines Wafer Substation. Through investigations, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of a 66-year-old man who is believed to have operated the UA, on 22 September 2019, at the open field along Tampines Industrial Avenue 2, which is in an area within five kilometers of an aerodrome, namely Paya Lebar Airbase. The man will be charged for operating a UA within five kilometres of an aerodrome without a permit under paragraph 72F(2) read with paragraph 72D(c)(ii) of the Air Navigation Order, which is punishable under paragraph 80(5) of the Air Navigation Order.
Anyone convicted of the offence of prohibited photography over a protected area using a UA which is punishable under section 7(2A) of the Air Navigation Act, or of the offence of operating a UA over a protected area which is punishable under section 7A(2A) of the Air Navigation Act, will be liable, on first conviction, to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both. For the offence of operating a UA without a permit under paragraph 80(5) of the Air Navigation Order, the offender will be liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding $20,000. With effect from 2 January 2020, operating a UA without the required permit is an offence under the Air Navigation (101 – Unmanned Aircraft Operations) Regulations 2019 and a person convicted of the offence will be liable, to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or to both fine and imprisonment, under section 4(3A) of the Air Navigation Act.
The Police will not condone the flying of a UA in an unsafe and irresponsible manner, as that poses a risk to aviation and public safety and security. UA users should refer to the OneMap.sg website or OneMap app to check the areas where flying of a UA is not allowed unless a permit has been obtained. Users are also reminded that recreational flying of UA outdoors during this safe re-opening phase is not allowed. Any UA with a total weight of above 250g must also be registered before it can be operated in Singapore. Members of the public who witness any unauthorised UA activity are advised to report their observations to the Police.
Annex
Extracted from: OneMap
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
08 June 2020 @ 10:30 PM