German cabinet passes law allowing police to shoot down UAVs

Berlin [Germany], October 9: The German cabinet on October 8 approved a law allowing police to shoot down illegal unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), amid a number of airspace violations in Europe.
DW reported that the German cabinet has approved a draft law amending the police force, aiming to strengthen the defense capabilities of this unit, as Germany and other European countries have recorded consecutive cases of UAVs violating airspace in recent weeks.
The draft text of the amended law states that police will be allowed to disable UAVs in case of security risks, using lasers or jamming. If these options fail and the UAV is deemed to pose a serious threat, police will be allowed to shoot it down.
"Recent UAV incidents have threatened our security. We will not allow that. We will strengthen the powers of the federal police so that we can detect and deal with UAVs in the future," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on social network X on October 8.
The bill still has to be approved by the German parliament. In the coming weeks, Germany will also discuss adjusting regulations on airspace security, especially the role of the German military in supporting the police against illegal UAV intrusion.
The German constitution places strict limits on the military, with the role of the armed forces primarily focused on defending the country against foreign military threats.
German authorities will discuss whether the military will be allowed to shoot down UAVs on German territory, if they fly out of police range.
On October 3, Germany discovered a number of UAVs illegally entering its airspace, forcing the Munich airport to temporarily close, leaving more than 10,000 passengers stranded. Several other countries in Europe have also recently recorded incidents of UAVs and balloons illegally entering their airspace.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper