'We must match drone and robot tech that criminals and terrorists are using' – Europol

Police forces, including An Garda Síochána, must adapt to fight technology-enabled crime amid the surge of illegal use of drones and robots, according to EU law enforcement agency

Spanish police divers on a drone submarine they intercepted in Aldan, north western Spain, in November 2019: An early instance of illegal drone technology, increasingly being used by criminal gangs. For more, see the links at the foot of this article. Picture: Lalo R Villar/AFP/Getty

Drones and robots are increasingly being used by criminals — and police forces must adapt, potentially developing ‘robocops’ to fight technology-enabled crime, a new report by the EU’s law enforcement agency has found.

Recent wars including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked innovation in unmanned systems such as drones, advances which are now being capitalised on by criminal organisations and terrorists. Such advances have been further supported by developments in supporting technology like 3D printing for the modifications, cryptocurrency for anonymous trade, and encrypted communications to evade law enforcement detection.