‘Environmental offenders to be caught using drones’

Drones can go as far as 500 metres without being detected. Pic/AFP

Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection is expanding the use of drones in an effort to fight more effectively against environmental offenders.

The cameras on drones make capturing environmental offenses in real-time much easier as the video footage in high resolution of wrongdoings can serve as substantial evidence in court, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

Moreover, the Ministry's Green Police even has drones with specialised cameras able to record videos at night using infrared or thermal vision.

For each operation, Green Police drone operators adjust the machines for specific conditions. For example, sea missions require drones that can fly in high winds, while in open fields, quiet drones with a long-distance lens can do a better job.

As the main enforcement and deterrence arm of the ministry, the Green Police has the power to conduct investigations, hand out fines and sanctions, and monitor polluters.

Eyal Yaffe, chief of the unmanned aerial vehicle department at Green Police, said that currently "most Green Police cases have drone footage that is very helpful in the court, by making the cases unambiguous". Green Police inspectors are focusing on illegal dumping, sewage, and construction waste.

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