Wimbledon safety battling ‘undesirable drones’ away from military-style no-fly zone
Wimbledon security chiefs are using top technology to keep out any unwanted drones from flying above the tennis courts.
A military-style ‘no fly zone’ is established over the south west London site which bans all aircraft – including drones – from flying below 1,500 feet within a 0.75-nautical-mile radius of the grounds. ‘Warden devices’ operated by the All England Club (AELTC) patrol this area, making sure any rival machinery cannot approach overhead.
They use “technology that tracks, locates the launch site and provides other details of drones” The Metropolitan Police work in tandem with tennis bosses to protect the site.
A police source told the Daily Star: “You can see them above the main entrances. Obviously, we can’t give any specific details away but there are no drones allowed on the site.”
AELTC confirmed there was a “wide ranging security system” to keep punters safe. A spokesperson added: “The All England Club employs technology that tracks, locates the launch site and provides other details of drones flying in the vicinity of the grounds. This enables us to share information with the Metropolitan Police.”
Elsewhere, the famous All England Tennis site is full of security wardens and armed guards. The entire grounds are monitored by 24/7 CCTV, vehicle deployment and sniffer dog patrols.
There’s even a hawk called Rufus that patrols the courts every morning, making sure there are no pigeons practising their back hand on Centre Court. Outside the grounds, hundreds of armed Met Police coppers patrol the streets as celebs and fans enter and exit.
In 2015 police seized a drone which had flown over Wimbledon’s site a few days before the tournament when major tennis stars were practicing including Roger Federer and Andy Murray. At the time the force said it was an offence to fly a drone “within 50m of a structure”.
