Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the (a) effectiveness and (b) applicability for high-profile sporting events in the UK of the anti-drone technology used by French authorities during the Rugby World Cup.

Following publication of the Government’s Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Strategy in 2019, the Home Office supported the development of a police national counter-drone capability, with the specialist National Police Chief’s Council Counter-Drone team implementing this across the UK. It comprises a range of specialist equipment, vehicles, and personnel to provide a flexible counter-drone capability to detect, track, identify and effect drones.

Counter-drone equipment has been successfully deployed at major events, including sporting events, such as: COP26, the Commonwealth Games, The Coronation of His Majesty The King, and Eurovision. The equipment has a proven track record, and the Home Office continues to support further capability development. The Home Office does not routinely comment on police operations.

The Government works closely with international partners around the world to develop a common approach to addressing shared threats and challenges associated with the misuse of drones.