The Police will be charging a 33-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a case of video-recording of a protected place using an unmanned aircraft (UA).
On 9 June 2023 at about 4.45pm, the Police received information that a UA was being operated in the vicinity of the Brani Terminal. One UA was recovered by the Police and was found to have multiple video recordings of Brani Terminal, a protected place under the Infrastructure Protection Act 2017.
Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of digital forensics, officers from Central Police Division established the identity of the alleged UA operator. The man will be charged in court on 7 November 2023 with an offence of prohibited photography of a protected place using a UA amounting to a course of conduct under Section 30(4) of the Infrastructure Protection Act 2017 read with Section 124(4) of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010.
Under Section 30(4) of the Infrastructure Protection Act 2017, if any photograph of a protected area or a protected place is taken without the permission of its authority, using any equipment on board an unmanned aircraft while the unmanned aircraft is in flight, the operator of the unmanned aircraft is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both.
The Police take a serious view of activities which threaten the security of protected areas and protected places. Members of the public are reminded that it is an offence to take photographs or videos of protected areas and protected places without permission, including photographs or videos taken from UAs. Members of the public are advised to refer to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore website https://www.caas.gov.sg/public-passengers/unmanned-aircraft for more details regarding the operation of unmanned aircraft in Singapore. Members of the public who witness any suspicious characters around protected areas and protected places are also advised to call ‘999’ immediately.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
06 November 2023 @ 9:25 AM