Hi everyone, just looking for clarification. I have no intention of doing this, but I’m writing an article and have noticed there are no restrictions over Scottish prisons on the UK AIP, where is the legislation for the restrictions?
Interestingly, nothing appears on Drone Scene (and therefore Drone Assist) other than as a “Ground Hazard” …
Here but only for England and Wales
Well now that’s interesting… the prison down the road from me is also just marked as a ground hazard. But the last time I checked (a few months back) it was restricted through NOTAM.
A change in policy? Or maybe just human error and somebody forgot to renew the NOTAM 
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If it was in the form of a NOTAM, previously, I’d suspect the latter. 
QUICK … now’s your chance!
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Did a little search of old NOTAMs and came up blank. Can only go back to early April, but I’m sure I’ve seen the prison restricted since then. Maybe it was a proper restriction that’s been dropped and I’m misremembering.
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There is no mention of flight restritions over Scottish prisons in these news articles
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Also DJI don’t list them
And yet HMP Kilmarnock definitely had one. Now wondering if it was an oversight in the data (somebody had just applied the flag to every prison in the UK?) and it went unnoticed until the legislation changed for England and Wales.
If I could summon up the energy to be a little more intrigued I might submit a FOIR, but I can’t so I won’t.
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Can’t remember when I last saw it but HMP Barlinnie definitely had one too, also I think Shotts too.
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Perth prison too, now just marked as a ground hazard where it used to be a FRZ
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Birthday challenge 
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I find it a little disturbing. I mean, if NATS UAS Restriction Zones map says you can fly, what happens if you’re silly enough to try, and then get arrested because there hasn’t actually been any change in law?
HMP Stafford, England
HMP Perth, Scotland
ps, I have emailed CAA at uavenquiries@caa.co.uk but doubt I’ll get a response for a week or so.
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Just in case we were thinking they never existed
A word of warning, Whilst on holiday in Cornwall I got chatting to two guys also on holiday from Scotland, both police officers, and one of them was part of a unit that deals with drones ’ buzzing’ Scottish prisons. They DO have methods in place to make them cease flying and his job involved forensic investigation of the drones to see who, what and why etc. He then mentioned that they had a particular method of dealing with these drones once all investigation was finished.
It involves a very large boot 
Les Nicolles prison on Guernsey uses an anti-drone system called Sky Fence. I wonder if it will catch on here on the mainland.
There’s an article regarding it in the below link
Yip, I hear you. But previously you were allowed to fly over prisons, as long as it was at a certain height. And now it doesn’t look like they are protected at all. If they brought down and destroyed your drone then they could be on up charges themselves?
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164ft high was the old rule
yes, I agree.
What I’m getting at is, that in Scotland, there no longer appears to be any rule.
The rules in England and Wales changed earlier this year to make all prisons a FRZ, meaning no drone overflight at any height, this is reflected on the NATS UAS map. As far as I am aware there were no rule changes in Scotland, but all flight restrictions for prisons north of the border have gone completely