Drones monitor French league fans

Officials are moving to expand the use of drones to monitor crowd movement, with the French league kicking off with a match between Rennes and Olympique de Marseille on Friday. French radio network Monte Carlo reported that police have approved the flying of two drones to monitor crowd movement around Roazhon Park, the home of Rennes. The network added that these drones are expected to be used at a number of upcoming matches, a move that requires an official decision from the prefecture to approve the recording, capture, and transmission of images. It noted that another match will be monitored in the first round of the league, the derby between Metz and Strasbourg, after the prefecture approved a flight plan over the Stade Saint-Symphorien. It added that the Paris police have always approved the use of drones to monitor crowds at the Parc des Princes stadium during all Paris Saint-Germain matches, as well as several other matches at the Stade de France over the past few years.