The use of drones in crime prevention, surveillance and criminal investigation

Peru is currently facing a growing and increasingly complex threat from national and transnational criminal organisations. The spread of illicit drug trafficking, illegal mining, human trafficking and other illicit activities poses significant challenges to the country’s security, governance and sustainable development. These criminal organisations operate across vast and hard-to-access territories, exploit new technologies and continually develop methods to evade the authorities’ controls.

For this reason, unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) systems have become an invaluable strategic tool for the prevention, detection, surveillance and investigation of activities linked to organised crime. Their use makes it possible to significantly expand surveillance capabilities in hard-to-reach areas, strengthen border surveillance, support operations against illicit drug trafficking, illegal mining, human trafficking and environmental crimes, and facilitate the collection of real-time information for operational decision-making.

In light of this, the European Union’s project on combating drugs and organised crime in Peru has organised a specialised workshop aimed at integrating the use of drones as a support tool in prevention, surveillance and criminal investigation work.

Sharing experiences and cooperation

Over the course of five days, the workshop brought together representatives from the Peruvian National Police (PNP), the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Judiciary and SUNAT. The aim is to enhance their knowledge of the planning and execution of operations, as well as the collection and analysis of strategic images and data.

Specialist police officers from Italy and Spain have led the workshop, focusing on two key areas: firstly, operational aspects, involving the exchange of experiences and best practice regarding the use of technology in various security scenarios; and secondly, the legal framework, which has taken into account the application of the principles of legality and proportionality, ensuring the protection of personal data and the proper gathering of information for investigations.

The responsible integration of these new technologies aims to enhance the response capacity of Peruvian institutions in the face of the increasingly complex forms of organised crime, whilst strengthening international cooperation.