Counter-Drone Security & Drone Detection Services
Drone detection systems, aerial threat assessment and counter-UAS security advice for critical infrastructure, transport, heritage sites, events, arenas, businesses and private estates across the UK.
Call in confidence: 0800 999 1295
the threat is real
Drones Are Being Used Against Businesses. Is Your Site Protected?
Consumer drone technology is now widely available, easy to operate and capable of flying far beyond visual line of sight. The same hardware that a hobbyist uses to film holiday footage can be — and is — used to conduct covert surveillance of industrial facilities, capture confidential site imagery, disrupt operations, and in increasingly serious cases, deliver payloads to targets.
The threat is not theoretical. Across the UK, drones have been used to:
- Survey security arrangements at commercial premises ahead of criminal activity
- Conduct industrial espionage and capture confidential operational data
- Disrupt events, sporting fixtures and public gatherings
- Cause shutdowns at airports, energy facilities and transport hubs
- Photograph private individuals and properties without consent
- Deliver contraband to prisons, secure sites and restricted areas
- Scout high-value agricultural estates, rural properties and plant and machinery
UK drone law is managed by the Civil Aviation Authority and enforced by police — but the law is consistently slower than the technology, and police resources for drone-related incidents are limited. By the time a report is made, the intelligence has already been gathered. Waiting to discover you were being watched is not a security strategy.
Image Surveys works with specialist counter-UAS technology partners to provide drone detection systems, site threat assessments and security advisory services that give organisations the situational awareness, evidence capability and deterrence they need to protect their assets, people and operations.
Expert Drone Knowledge Applied to Drone Security
There is an important distinction between a security company that sells anti-drone technology and a professional drone operator that understands counter-drone security from both sides.
To provide the best all round advice and service we have teamed up with a leading counter-drone technology manufacturer with years of military and civilian counter-UAV experience. (SEE BELOW)
Image Surveys is an active CAA-licensed drone operator with deep practical knowledge of how drones behave, what they can detect, what they can carry, how operators avoid detection, and what the technology's real-world limitations are. That operational understanding — combined with access to military-grade detection technology through our specialist security partners — means we can offer clients a genuinely informed assessment of their specific vulnerability, not just a technology sale.
We are not selling fear. We are providing the same professional, evidence-based approach to aerial security that we bring to every other service we offer — helping you understand your actual risk level and respond proportionately and effectively.
our counter-drone partner
We are delighted to be a UK partner of the Danish based company "My Defence" who are world leaders in counter drone technology both in commercial and military operations.
Recent civil projects the company has worked on include protecting the Hamburg Port Authority sites, the port of Odense, protection of the Danish National electricity supply infrastructure, and multi-layer UAS counter security for the Hans Christian Anderson Airport.
With there pedigree and accreditations with JOSCAR and ADS you know your in safe hands when you instruct us to advice on your counter- UAV technology.
OUR COUNTER-DRONE SERVICES
Drone Threat Assessment & Site Vulnerability Review
The starting point for any effective counter-drone strategy is an honest assessment of your site's specific vulnerability. We carry out professional aerial security surveys of your premises — reviewing sight lines, access routes, airspace context, operational activity and security blind spots — to produce a clear threat assessment that tells you what you are actually at risk from, and what proportionate measures would address it.
This is the right first step before investing in any detection or mitigation technology. Many sites require targeted, cost-effective measures. Others face more significant exposure. A proper assessment tells you which category you are in.
Drone Detection System Supply & Installation
Working through our specialist counter-UAS technology partners — whose systems were originally developed for military and defence applications — we supply and support the installation of professional drone detection equipment at commercial, industrial, event and private sites across the UK.
Detection systems can be configured to:
- Identify and track unauthorised drone activity in real time across your site perimeter and airspace
- Log flight data, timestamps and approach vectors for evidence purposes
- Locate the drone operator's position for police handover
- Alert security teams instantly to incursions via integrated alarm systems
- Record all detected drone activity for subsequent review and reporting.
Solutions can be tailored to need and include:
- permanent installations (for sites like ports and air ports)
- Temporary systems (for events, festivals or conferences)
- Mobile systems, both vehicle or body mounted (for security teams).
These systems operate passively — they detect and record without jamming, disabling or interfering with drone signals. This is important: under current UK law, actively jamming or disabling a drone is illegal except for specific licensed authorities. Detection, tracking, logging and operator location identification are all fully legal and provide the evidential basis for police enforcement action and civil proceedings.
Ongoing Site Monitoring & Managed Detection Services
For sites requiring continuous protection — energy facilities, data centres, logistics hubs, ports, manufacturing sites and large private estates — we can support the installation and operation of permanent or semi-permanent detection systems with ongoing monitoring and alert management.
Security Advice, Training & Awareness
Understanding the threat is the first step in managing it. We provide briefings and awareness sessions for security managers, facilities teams and senior management covering:
- How drones operate and what they are capable of
- The current legal framework for drone operations and counter-drone responses
- What your options are if an unauthorised drone is detected over your site
- How to record and report incidents effectively to support police action
- Best practice for site operational security in a drone-aware environment
T:0800 999 1295
who is at risk from illegal drone activity
Which Organisations Need Counter-Drone Security?
Any organisation with assets, operations, data or people that represent value to a competitor, criminal, activist or hostile actor faces some level of drone threat. The following sectors face above-average exposure:
Critical National Infrastructure Energy installations, power stations, substations, water treatment works, gas terminals and transmission infrastructure. Drone incursions at these sites carry serious operational and regulatory consequences.
Ports, Docks & Logistics Hubs High-value goods, customs-controlled areas, freight movements and port infrastructure make these sites attractive targets for surveillance, smuggling support and disruption. The Port of Liverpool and associated Merseyside logistics corridor represents a specific regional exposure.
Data Centres & Technology Facilities Physical security intelligence about data centre layouts, access points, cooling infrastructure and perimeter arrangements is commercially valuable and increasingly sought by hostile actors.
Transport Infrastructure Airports, rail depots, motorway service areas and major road and rail infrastructure. Drone activity near airports carries criminal penalties but continues to be a persistent problem.
Manufacturing & Industrial Sites Process layouts, production volumes, security arrangements, raw material storage and supply chain logistics are all commercially sensitive. Industrial espionage via drone is underreported but real.
Events, Sporting Venues & Festivals Concert venues, football grounds, racecourses and outdoor festival sites face drone incursions ranging from nuisance photography to serious security risks. Public gatherings also attract protest and activist drone activity.
Private Estates, Rural Properties ,Historic Houses & High-Value Assets Large rural estates, country houses, agricultural operations and high-net-worth residential properties are targets for reconnaissance ahead of theft — particularly for plant and machinery, livestock, agricultural equipment and contents. This is a growing problem across Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria and North Wales.
Construction Sites Plant theft, materials theft and security reconnaissance via drone is an increasing concern on large construction sites, particularly overnight and at weekends.
Prisons & Secure Facilities Contraband delivery by drone to prison populations is a well-documented and persistent problem across the UK prison estate.
Healthcare & Research Facilities Sensitive research data, pharmaceutical assets and patient privacy all represent value that makes healthcare and research sites potential drone surveillance targets.
UK Legal framework for drones
What you can and cannot do to stop drones flying
This is an area where clients consistently need clear guidance, and where acting on incorrect assumptions can create serious legal risk.
What is currently illegal: Under UK law, actively jamming drone communications signals, spoofing GPS to misdirect a drone, or physically disabling or destroying a drone are all illegal — except for specifically authorised government and military operators. Organisations that deploy RF jamming or signal-blocking equipment without authorisation face significant criminal liability. Technology marketed as "drone jammers" or "drone guns" is illegal for civilian use in the UK.
What is fully legal and effective: Detection, tracking, logging and operator location identification are entirely legal and provide the foundation for a credible counter-drone security posture. The systems we supply through our partners are passive detection technologies — they identify and record drone activity and operator position without interfering with the drone or its signals.
With logged evidence of an incursion — timestamps, flight paths, approach vectors, and where possible the operator's location — you have a robust evidential package for:
- Police investigation and potential prosecution under the Air Navigation Order, Computer Misuse Act, Protection from Harassment Act or other public order provisions
- Civil proceedings against identified operators
- Insurance claims
- Regulatory reporting where required
The right approach: A professionally assessed, legally compliant detection and evidence strategy is both more effective and less legally risky than attempting active countermeasures. We help you build that strategy correctly from the outset.
Note: counter-drone legislation continues to evolve. We will always provide guidance based on the current legal position at the time of your enquiry. Our founder Mark Carr is a former solicitor and monitors changes in legislation
where we work
Counter-Drone Security Across the UK
Counter-drone security is a UK-wide service. While Image Surveys is based in Southport, Merseyside and our primary operating area for drone survey services is the North of England and North Wales, our counter-drone security assessments, technology supply and installation are available to clients across the whole of the UK through our specialist technology partners.
Regional clients — businesses and organisations across Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire and North Wales can benefit from our local presence and rapid response capability for site assessments and consultations.
protecting properties & estates
Stately homes, abbeys, walled gardens, museums and scheduled monuments draw drones for all sorts of reasons — hobbyist photography, content creators chasing a view, voyeurism over private events, and, occasionally, hostile reconnaissance ahead of theft from high-value collections. Even a well-intentioned overflight carries real risk: privacy intrusion over weddings and members' events, nuisance and disturbance, and the genuine danger of a malfunctioning aircraft falling onto irreplaceable fabric or onto visitors below.
For these environments we provide:
- Non-invasive detection — sensors selected and sited to read the airspace without drilling, fixing into or altering protected fabric, which matters as much to your conservation team as to your security team.
- Drone and operator localisation — where the aircraft is, and (with RF detection) the likely position of the person flying it, so security staff or police can intervene on the ground.
- Event-aware monitoring — heightened cover around weddings, galas, filming days and seasonal peaks when incursion risk rises.
- An evidence trail — time-stamped detections and flight tracks that support reports to the police and the CAA, and that build a picture of repeat offenders over time.
protecting Outdoor festivals & live events
A drone over a crowd is a different order of risk. Beyond unauthorised filming and broadcast-rights issues, an aircraft that loses signal or power above a densely packed field becomes a falling object over thousands of people. Event safety officers, licensing authorities and headline performers increasingly expect airspace to be part of the safety plan, not an afterthought.
For festivals, concerts, sporting fixtures and public ceremonies we offer:
- Temporary, rapidly deployable systems scaled to the footprint and duration of your event, set up and removed around your build and breakdown.
- Real-time alerting into the event control room, so airspace incursions sit alongside your other safety feeds and reach the people already coordinating the response.
- Live tracking and operator location to support police and security teams in reaching the pilot while the event continues safely.
- Pre-event airspace risk assessment — surveying the site, local flight activity and lines of approach before the gates open, so your safety plan is built on data rather than assumption.
Frequently asked questions about counter-drone security
What is counter-drone security? Counter-drone (counter-UAS) security is the detection, tracking and management of unauthorised drones around a site. It helps protect critical infrastructure, events, businesses and private estates from drone-related disruption, intrusion or safety risk.
Is drone detection legal in the UK? Passive drone detection — identifying and tracking drones in your airspace — is generally lawful. Active countermeasures such as signal jamming are tightly regulated and restricted to certain authorities, so our focus is on detection, tracking and expert advice.
Who needs counter-drone security? Operators of energy facilities, data centres, ports, logistics hubs, manufacturing sites, stadiums and events, and large private estates, where an unauthorised drone could disrupt operations, breach privacy or create a safety risk.
Can detection systems locate the drone's operator? Yes. Professional detection systems can identify and track an unauthorised drone in real time, log its flight data and help locate the position of the operator, alerting your security team.
Do you carry out site threat assessments? Yes. We review sight lines, access routes, airspace context and security blind spots to produce a clear threat assessment and recommend a proportionate response for your site.