A man is facing a charge for allegedly filming Brani Terminal, a protected area, with a drone without a lawful permit.

The 33-year-old is set to be charged on Nov. 7.

This was announced by the police on Nov. 6, reported The Straits Times.

Drone operator identified via digital forensics

The incident came to the attention of the authorities on Jun. 9 when they received information of drone activity in the vicinity of Brani Terminal.

Brani Terminal, a commercial port, is legally classified as a protected place in Singapore, where entry is solely restricted to authorised individuals.

Unauthorised photography of protected places and areas using "unmanned aircraft", including drones, is a criminal offence under Section 30 of the Infrastructure Protection Act 2017.

Digital forensics was used by the police to identify the drone operator. Upon recovery of the drone, it was found to contain multiple video recordings of the port.

The man is scheduled to be charged on Nov. 7.

If found guilty, he may be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.

Class 2 activity permit needed to fly drones in protected areas

The number of offences involving unlawful flying of drones have risen in the past three years.

In 2020, 20 drone operators were arrested over three months for illegally flying their drones within 5km of Changi Airport.

A Class 2 activity permit is required for drone operators to fly their drone in protected or restricted areas, as well as areas within 5km of restricted places.

These areas include the Central Business District, certain parts of Upper Pierce Reservoir Park, Changi Airport, and the Paya Lebar Air Base.

If you want to fly a drone in public areas in Singapore that do not fall under the protected areas and places category, you do not need to apply for a permit.

Alternatively, you can use the oneMap portal to check for no-fly zones in Singapore which are off-limits to drones.

Top image from Wikimedia Commons.