back to article Indian cops spice up protests with pepper spray-armed DRONES

Police are increasingly using drones these days to snoop on activists and track down demonstrators plus the occasional criminal. Now Indian police are going to use them for riot control by loading up the aerial gizmos with pepper spray. Lucknow police have bought four of the offensive drones for use in crowd control, and each …

  1. Khaptain Silver badge

    Anonymous

    Doesn't India have an "anonymous" contingent, they could hack the airwaves and take control of the offending bots...

    Lest not the police forget that necessity is the mother of all contention invention.

    [2 Kg of Pepper spray in your face whilst going to work could seriously put a damper on your day...]

  2. frank ly

    Don't Lucknow ....

    .... but I've got a very powerful drone control transmitter in my backpack.

  3. HKmk23

    Atishoo, atishoo and they all fall down.....

    If the UK busybodies (Government) read this there will be an immediate ban on all drones in the UK with draconian punishments for offenders...

  4. Elmer Phud

    Go fly a kite!

    Isn't kite flying very popular in India?

  5. jake Silver badge

    Oh, yummy! Bhut jolokia! Fruity! :-)

    Methinks the Indian .gov would do better to address the complaints of the rioters instead of trying to sweep them under the carpet, with all the world watching in real-time.

    1. Elmer Phud

      Re: Oh, yummy! Bhut jolokia! Fruity! :-)

      Much cheaper to beat protesters.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Oh, yummy! Bhut jolokia! Fruity! :-)

        Yeah, they could just follow the example set by yet more US police thugs.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Oh, yummy! Bhut jolokia! Fruity! :-)

          > yet more US police thugs.

          Yeah, how quaint. The fat retards are playing wannabe MMA guy. Bunch of girly cowards they are. Not to mention how stupid would you have to be... it's not like you can miss a news helicopter in the hover.

  6. Ralph B
    Joke

    I'm warning you

    It'll all end in tears!

    (Especially when the rioters hijack the police drones and turn them back against the police.)

  7. DropBear

    There are just so many ways to sabotage these (from 2.4GHz jammers to anything that shoots a bunch of chaff-like stringy material that will jam one or more of the props) that I don't see these working out (after the initial surprise and apparent effectiveness of course)...

    1. AdamT

      well, depending on how high they are planning to fly them, even a "party popper" might do the trick ...

    2. Captain DaFt

      Or just go old, old school

      Two words: Throwing Stick

      Readily available, easily used, surprisingly damaging.

      https://www.hedgehogleatherworks.com/Throwing-Sticks-For-Wilderness-Survival-s/83.htm

  8. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
    Coat

    I just have to ask

    It being India, is the pepper spray Vindaloo flavour?

    I'll get my coat. The one with the menu of the Indian takeaway in the pocket, please

  9. DrXym

    So if you're going to riot

    Make sure to do it on a blustery or rainy day.

    1. Anonymous Custard
      Joke

      Re: So if you're going to riot

      And if Winnie the Pooh and friends turn up, you're on a winner...

  10. macjules
    FAIL

    Effectiveness?

    I would have thought it would be easier to use the drones as surveillance so that you could have targeted lathi charges to arrest the correct rioter, not just smother everyone with pepper ...

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Gone in minutes

    The drones will be gone in minutes and the money wasted as they are easy prey.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Drone Flavor Packs now available

    Drone attack canisters can now be purchased in pre-configured packs depending on the occasion:

    Indian Crowd Control Pack

    4 canisters pepper spray

    2 canisters red curry

    2 canisters green curry

    American Crowd Control Pack

    4 canisters CS

    2 canisters Rubber Ball

    1 Red Smoke Marker

    1 Green Smoke Marker

    Russian Crowd Control Pack

    4 canisters High Explosive Armor Piercing

    4 canisters Fuel-Air Explosive

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Drone Flavor Packs now available

      Russians know better than to waste APHE on soft targets

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    oh yes

    "Of course, riots involving the need for police control aren't that common, "

    yuk yuk yuk yuk...... nah old fashioned lead and rattan has always worked for us.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    and Amazon is positioned to deliver!

    except they'll be delivering an aerosol product not ordered by the recipient.

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