WEST SUSSEX: An Air Transat aircraft is pictured beyond a CCTV camera as it prepares to land at London Gatwick Airport, south of London, as flights resumed following the closing of the airfield due to a drones flying. - AFP

LONDON: British
Security Minister Ben Wallace said the government can now deploy drone
detection systems nationwide, after days of device sightings caused chaos at
Gatwick Airport and criticism of the government response. Britain's
second-busiest airport was forced to close its only runway repeatedly last
Wednesday through Friday due to numerous reports of drones, impacting nearly
140,000 passengers and leading to the deployment of soldiers.

"We are able
to now deploy detection systems throughout the UK to combat this threat,"
Wallace said in a statement. But he warned: "The huge proliferation of
such devices, coupled with the challenges of deploying military counter
measures into a civilian environment, means there are no easy solutions."
Meanwhile police have received around 30 pieces of "useful
information" in the last 24 hours, a police-backed charity said Monday.

The tip-offs came
after the airport, some 30 miles south of London, on Sunday offered a £50,000
($63,000/56,000 euro) reward for information on the incident. "Within the
first 24 hours we had close to 30 pieces of useful information that we passed
on to police," a spokesman for CrimeStoppers, a charity that helps police
solve crimes said. "It's been a good response," he said, adding that
it pays out rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of
perpetrators. It launched the new appeal Sunday after police released without
charge a local couple arrested Friday on suspicion of involvement.

Paul Gait and
Elaine Kirk, who live in nearby Crawley, said in a statement Monday they felt
"completely violated" by their two-day detention. The police rejected
criticism of their handling of the incident. A detective admitted it was a
"possibility" that no drones had actually been in the area-despite
the discovery of a damaged device near the airport perimeter that is now being
forensically examined. "We can unequivocally state that there have been
numerous illegal drone sightings at the airport over three days from 19 to 21
December," Sussex police deputy chief constable Jo Shiner said on Monday.

"There were
numerous reports clustered around 37 occasions where a drone or drones were
seen and I am keen for those responsible to be brought to justice," Shiner
said. The force provided fresh details on the sightings, noting that five
officers were among the witnesses who reported the devices first appearing
Wednesday night. Shiner added that police were investigating what would be
considered "criminal and reckless behavior" under an aviation and
maritime law punishable by a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Police field
tip-offs

Meanwhile,
British police probing the Gatwick Airport drone mystery that grounded
Christmas getaway flights last week have received around 30 pieces of
"useful information" in the last 24 hours, a police-backed charity
said. The tip-offs came after the airport on Sunday began offering a £50,000
($63,000, 56,000 euro) reward for information on dozens of drone sightings
which led to the three days of disruption. "Within the first 24 hours we
had close to 30 pieces of useful information that we passed onto police,"
a spokesman for CrimeStoppers, a charity that aims to aid police in solving
crimes, told AFP.

"It's been a
good response," he said, adding it pays out rewards if details provided -
even anonymously -- lead to the arrest and conviction of perpetrators. Gatwick,
Britain's second-busiest airport, was forced to close its only runway
repeatedly between last Wednesday and Friday due to the drone reports,
impacting nearly 140,000 passengers. It launched the new appeal for information
Sunday after police released without charge a local couple arrested Friday over
the incident. Paul Gait and Elaine Kirk, who live in nearby Crawley, said in a
statement Monday they felt "completely violated" by their two-day
detention.

The police also
on Monday defended themselves against criticism of their handling of the entire
incident. It followed a detective admitting it was a "possibility" no
drones had actually been in the area - despite the discovery of a damaged
device near the airport perimeter now being forensically examined. "We can
unequivocally state that there have been numerous illegal drone sightings at
the airport over three days from 19 to 21 December," said Sussex Police
deputy chief constable Jo Shiner. "There were numerous reports clustered
around 37 occasions where a drone or drones were seen and I am keen for those
responsible to be brought to justice."

The force
provided fresh details on the sightings, noting five officers were among the
witnesses who reported the devices first appearing Wednesday night. Shiner
added police were investigating the "criminal and reckless behavior"
under an aviation and maritime law "which carries a maximum sentence of
life imprisonment". Government ministers were briefed on the situation in
a conference call Monday chaired by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. The
hour-long briefing included Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington -- Prime
Minister Theresa May's de facto deputy -- and interior minister Sajid Javid.
-  Agencies