Between formality and informality: A critical study of the integration of drones within the Neuchatel police force

Abstract

The use of police drones in Switzerland has significantly increased since the early 2000s. However, Swiss citizens remain largely uninformed about the multifold uses of drones by the police. Whilst many public institutions today advocate more transparent decision-making processes in security matters, this paper demonstrates that the acquisition of police drone systems results from a set of interdependent socio-technical mediations that are inherently opaque, and that bring together both formal and informal mechanisms. Drawing upon qualitative interviews and observational research conducted with Neuchatel police (Switzerland), this analysis highlights the importance of the practical and relational mechanisms that interlink various public and private actors with the objects in question. This raises a series of informality issues surrounding the acquisition of police technologies more generally.