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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/05/people-caught-shining-laser-pens-pilots-tougher-punishments
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| People caught shining laser pens at pilots face tougher punishments | People caught shining laser pens at pilots face tougher punishments |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| People caught shining laser pens at pilots, train drivers or motorists will face tougher fines and jail sentences under new laws proposed by the Department for Transport (DfT). | People caught shining laser pens at pilots, train drivers or motorists will face tougher fines and jail sentences under new laws proposed by the Department for Transport (DfT). |
| Pilots’ unions have called for laser pens to be classed as offensive weapons and say their members report thousands of attempts to dazzle them as they take off or land at UK airports. | Pilots’ unions have called for laser pens to be classed as offensive weapons and say their members report thousands of attempts to dazzle them as they take off or land at UK airports. |
| Four pilots a day on average reported having laser pens shone into their cockpits as they took off or landed at UK airports, according to Civil Aviation Authority data for 2015, the most recent year available. | Four pilots a day on average reported having laser pens shone into their cockpits as they took off or landed at UK airports, according to Civil Aviation Authority data for 2015, the most recent year available. |
| Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, said: “Shining a laser pointer at pilots or drivers is incredibly dangerous and could have fatal consequences … This kind of dangerous behaviour risks lives and must be stopped.” | Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, said: “Shining a laser pointer at pilots or drivers is incredibly dangerous and could have fatal consequences … This kind of dangerous behaviour risks lives and must be stopped.” |
| It is already a crime to shine laser pens at pilots, with fines of up to £2,500, and a number of people have been jailed for it. But under current laws, police must prove an aircraft was endangered. The proposed law, which Grayling called a “common sense approach”, will make it an offence to shine a laser at any transport operator, including motorists and train drivers. | It is already a crime to shine laser pens at pilots, with fines of up to £2,500, and a number of people have been jailed for it. But under current laws, police must prove an aircraft was endangered. The proposed law, which Grayling called a “common sense approach”, will make it an offence to shine a laser at any transport operator, including motorists and train drivers. |
| The measures will be published in the vehicle technology and aviation bill, which a DfT spokeswoman said would go through parliament very soon. | The measures will be published in the vehicle technology and aviation bill, which a DfT spokeswoman said would go through parliament very soon. |
| Steve Landells, flight safety specialist at the British Airline Pilots Association, welcomed the legislation. “Any move to give the police and authorities more powers to tackle this real and growing threat to flight safety is a good thing, and we are pleased that the government has included action on lasers in this bill,” he said. | Steve Landells, flight safety specialist at the British Airline Pilots Association, welcomed the legislation. “Any move to give the police and authorities more powers to tackle this real and growing threat to flight safety is a good thing, and we are pleased that the government has included action on lasers in this bill,” he said. |
| Convictions under the current laws are very rare: 44 people were found guilty in 2013 and 2014, when 2,844 incidents were reported, according to the DfT. This is partly because catching offenders is difficult: one police hunt in Cardiff required a police helicopter to identify where the beam had come from. | |
| The DfT could not provide figures on how many people had been arrested but not prosecuted under the current laws. | The DfT could not provide figures on how many people had been arrested but not prosecuted under the current laws. |