Security at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is always tight and this year has proved no exception with the Swiss police testing drones over the mountain resort – though what exactly they were being used for remains a mystery.
Peter Vanham, the media lead for WEF, spotted the drone flying over the area where the event is taking place and tweeted a picture.
A spokesperson for the regional police confirmed to CNBC that the force was "demonstrating" drones but declined to say for what reason. It's unclear whether these were being used for surveillance and security purposes for this year's WEF, or whether they were being trailed for other events.
The idea of security forces using unmanned aircraft is gaining traction. Last year, U.K. counterterrorism police agreed to use drones for surveillance at London airports. Drones can be fitted with high-quality cameras that can live-stream video footage and get to hard-to-reach areas.
While it has not been confirmed whether the Davos were being used for security, they were deployed just days after the head of the regional police said that the force had increased security after major terrorist attacks last year across the world.
"The bombings in Paris last November represent a new sort of threat for WEF, and require new measures," Walter Schlegel, the regional police force head in charge of security at WEF, said in an article on the state-backed news site Swissinfo.
Meanwhile, another Davos attendee spotted a private drone flying around that he claimed was eventually taken down by police, according to his tweet. There is a no-fly zone currently in operation around Davos.
The police force did not comment on this incident. It is not the first time that people have been in trouble at the WEF for using drones. Last year, three journalists for British broadcaster the BBC were questioned by police for using drones at the event.
At the time of the event, the BBC confirmed that their journalists "mistakenly took a drone into a no-fly zone area".
