Police to monitor Victorians with drones on AFL grand final day

Victoria Police will take to the sky to monitor those doing the wrong thing on AFL grand final day.

Under current COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne, indoor gatherings are banned.

And no more than two households, up to 10 people, can gather outdoors in public spaces.

Fines ranging between $1600 to almost $5000 apply for breaches.

To ensure Melburnians adhere to the rules on Saturday, police have said they will be deploying drones to monitor crowds at parks, beaches and other popular spots.

The police airwing will also give officers an eye in the sky.

Professor Katina Michael, from the School of Computing and Information Technology at Wollongong University, said it was alarming.

“I think we are going too far,” she said.

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Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius played down concerns.

“Our drones won’t be hovering over people’s pizza ovens in their backyard,” he said.

“Can I just set that straight.”

Meanwhile, the ring of steel – the checkpoint operations on Melbourne’s outskirts – will be bolstered and expanded to backroads to stop Melburnians from sneaking into the regions where bigger gatherings are allowed and pubs and restaurants are open.