Dubai: New patrol units equipped with sophisticated video camera devices will roam the streets of Dubai to track vehicles wanted for criminal and traffic violations, the Chief of Dubai Police said.
These patrol units have sophisticated devices installed on them that automatically operate when the officer turns on the engine. The video cameras on the patrol unit are programmed to register the number plates of vehicles within its view.
If the number plate captured by the camera has a notice issued on it by the traffic department or by the criminal investigation department an alert will show on the system of the patrol unit, which is linked to the operations room of Dubai Police.
Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, said the initial phase covers 100 patrol units that are responsible of tracking violators.
Recently a string of new regulations are established to curb traffic violations and bring changes to driving behaviours. On Monday, Lieutenant General Dahi established a challenging record of reducing fatalities to zero for every 100,000 of the population in Dubai by 2020.
"The ultimate goal for us is to establish civilised driving habits as motorists' driving behaviour accounts for over 90 per cent of accidents in Dubai while less than 3 per cent is due to road-architectural faults," said Lieutenant General Tamim.
The strategy is based on four agendas to help establish the ultimate goal of curbing fatalities and accidents. The agendas are improving motorists' driving habits, inspecting vehicles for traffic safety regulations and for criminal safety procedures, inspecting motorists' records, and traffic awareness campaigns.
Further regulations expanded to include the entire police force participating in flagging motorists for violating traffic rules.
The new rule implemented gives the approximately 20,000 members of the Dubai Police force the authority to issue traffic fines and impound vehicles whose registration has expired.
Earlier, only traffic police, totalling about 800 officers, could issue such fines.
Measures: Tracking violators
More patrol units will be available in Dubai highways to curb the number of violations and speeding in these roads, said a police official.
During the officer's field campaign, Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of the General Department of Traffic of Dubai Police joined a patrol unit to monitor and issue fines to violating motorists at Shaikh Zayed Road.
