Part 3: Unmanned aircraft Schedule 8: Unmanned aircraft: powers of police officers and prison authorities Power of constable to require an unmanned aircraft to be grounded
Paragraph 1(1) and (2) gives a constable the power to require a person controlling a UA to ground the UA in certain circumstances. This power will allow a constable to stop a person from continuing to use a UA to commit an offence, and to begin the process of investigation of an offence. If the offence has not yet been committed, the power may be used by a constable to prevent the offence from taking place.
	Paragraph 1(3) and (4) provides for an offence of failing to comply with a requirement imposed by a constable to ground a UA under this paragraph, and sets out the penalty for that offence. Paragraph 1(3) specifies that, in order for an offence to be committed, the person must be in control of the UA and lack a reasonable excuse for failing to comply with the requirement. This may mean that in a situation where the UA technology was hacked or malfunctioned, for example, the person would not be guilty of an offence.