About a month ago I had a negative interaction with a very rude security guard outside Lancaster Castle regarding my DJI Mini 2 flight outside the castle. The only one to date. It’s one of the most famous buildings in the North of England. Grade 1 listed, built not too long after Hastings and a very iconic tourist attraction. It was once upon a time a prison, but this closed in 2011. I head around the back of the castle onto this public footpath near to the priory. I fly over the top for around 5-10 minutes and out of no where, without warning and whilst I was zoned in on the FPV screen this security guard approaches me and says “you need to bring it down.” I ask him why and he replies “because it’s illegal, it’s crown property.” I shake my head in confusion and he says “look just bring it down, it’s expensive. Bring it down or it’ll be shot down.” I ask him who by and he says “by me.” When he said that to me I just said that he was talking rubbish and he walked off. I happened to be bringing the drone down anyway and due to my nerves also, I hate confrontation, part of the reason I brought it down. I walked around the front of the castle and see the same guard outside the front entrance. He glares at me for a second and then says to me “I suggest that you don’t do it again. It’s illegal to fly over crown property. Prisons or otherwise.” I told him that it is no longer an active prison and that it closed in 2011 and that there was no flight restriction zone over the top of it and I checked the DJI Geozone Map prior. He told me that it used to be a prison and still has the status and is an active crown court and that it’s illegal to fly over the top. I shook my head in disapproval and walk away.
This wasn’t where the story ends. I hadn’t completed what I was doing. I’d travelled a fair distance and didn’t want it to be a wasted trip and so I decided to reason with the guy a bit and not take off or land from inside the peripheries of the castle (including the nearby surrounding area owned by the castle). I decide to take off again from a public pavement a bit down the road from the castle. I take off again from further down the road and capture the front side, the grand old entrance of the castle which I didn’t cover on my first flight. From my FPV view I see after a few minutes the same guard come out of his office and look around for me. A few minutes later I land the drone again and see a member of the public look fascinated by the drone, they seemed amused by it. I then see down the end of the pavement, the angry guard marches towards me again from all the way up the street. I filmed all interactions from this point in the interest of safety and to show to his company and possibly the SIA. When he reaches me he says “You can get it up and you can film me all you like, if needs be I’ll just call the police myself and have them remove it from you. You’ve been asked not to. Yeah.” I told him I was on a public pavement when taking off and landing and he pointed towards the castle and said “yeah, that isn’t though, that’s private and belongs to the Queen” (this was before Elizabeth died). He then walks away. I then pack up and decide to leave the area and I walk down the street for a bit and notice that the guy was following me down the street of Lancaster with a radio in his hand and constantly staring at me. This made me feel extremely nervous, especially with my social anxiety issues.
I decide to get out of the area and a second security guard sees me. This guy I credit alot more for his actions. He was very professional and polite unlike his aggressive colleague. He says “Hi there mate, what’s happened?” I tell him that I was accosted by a very aggressive guard for lawfully flying a drone and pointed at him in the distance as he follows me and told guard two that I didn’t appreciate being followed by guard one. He said “don’t worry about it, don’t get anxious” (very nice guy). The first guard approaches the two of us and the second guard asks the first guard if it was just “taking photographs” and guard one replies “on the ground you can but not from up in the air.” I replied “The CAA says otherwise” and guard two said “Aright fair enough. But this guy is in charge of the castle and so if he does want to say no he can say it.” I then reply "he can deny me from taking off or landing within the castle peripheries but if I take off and land from public land and fly over the top there is nothing he can do about it. The second guard says “but this guy’s in charge of the castle security and he doesn’t want it up there that’s all.” Security guard one walks off and I don’t see him again. Guard two offers to walk me away from the area. I walk for a few minutes with security guard two and he introduces himself and gives his first name and we shake hands. I explain a bit more about the legalities of what I was doing and he said “he can get a bit over-zealous sometimes, sorry about that.” He let’s me go on my way and that was that.
I did not approve of guard one’s behaviour. I wouldn’t have minded a civilised conversation with him about it or if he gave a reason as to why he was concerned (such as disrupting the tours, people complained or he was worried for the welfare of the castle) I’d have taken it on board but he didn’t and was rude about it. I doubt any of those things were true. I tried to submit a complaint and the company blanked me until now. So I’ve kind of given up on that. Ran out of energy. It was a minor altercation that happened a month ago and I’ve kind of moved on now.
That was the story anyway. Hope you enjoyed reading it. What are your thoughts on this?
Well done for standing up to the bully 
