Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Residents concerned about drones: Say devices fly too close, invades privacy

Residents concerned about drones: Say devices fly too close, invades privacy

Some residents on the main island of Tortola are becoming alarmed by what they say is an increase in the amount of drone activity in residential areas, especially during after-dark hours. These residents have said they believe the presence of the drones is an invasion of their privacy.

“These drones can come to your bedroom level and the zoom on these cameras can see straight into your bedroom. What if you are sleeping at night and they are hovering these drones and seeing what you are doing?” said one male resident who spoke to BVI News on the condition of anonymity.

The man, who is a resident of Sage Mountain on Tortola, added: “I don’t have a problem that they are using it, but the BVI should have laws, and you should have a permit, especially in residential areas.”

“This has been going on for a while now … this is an invasion of privacy. These people who fly the drones here; do they have a permit to use these drones? Are there any laws in place for drone activities in the BVI? And what is the law? We need to know,” he continued.

The Sage Mountain resident said he spotted one of the drones being operated in West End just minutes before midnight earlier this month.

He said he also spotted drones in Huntums Ghut, Sea Cows Bay, Nanny Cay and in his Sage Mountain community.

“These people could be recording you, and you don’t know,” he said before calling on central government to probe and address the issue.

One female businesswoman residing in the Nanny Cay area of Tortola told BVI News she also had an encounter with the flying devices.

She said one hovered above her property just this week.

“It was about midday on Sunday and it was right there. I stood and I watched it for ages. I’m asking what were they doing?”

No drone regulation laws, police say

Deputy Police Commissioner Alwin James told BVI News on Tuesday that there are presently no laws in place to govern the use of drone activity in the territory.

“The Air Safety Support International has regulations on drones. It applies to the BVI but it is more so as it relates to where it interferes with aircrafts coming into the airport. [But], we don’t have any regulations on our books as it relates to drones,” James said.

“Drones are a recent thing, and no permit is required to utilize them.”

When asked if the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) own drones, the deputy commissioner responded with a ‘yes’. However, he said, “RVIPF drones are associated with [their] K-9 Unit and the search-and-rescue at sea.”

The Deputy Police Commissioner said there have been no reports received about the drone disturbances. He further said there are no restrictions on anyone wishing to import drones in the BVI.

Drones to form part of security plan

Notably, just last year, Governor Augustus Jaspert said a new security plan for the territory would see the introduction of drones in the territory.

He said the police drone surveillance would be purchased with a portion of the £1.2 million the United Kingdom had donated to the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) in December 2017.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×