Sharjah traffic police urged to emphasise public service

The new premises of the Traffic and Licensing Department at Al Ramtha area in Sharjah were opened yesterday by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah. Accompanied by senior officers from the Department, the Ruler toured the new buildings which he considered "a remarkable achievement for Sharjah Police".

Dr Sheikh Sultan was briefed on the new facilities and the traffic services provided. A new service introduced by Sharjah Traffic Police, the comprehensive policeman system, was demonstrated for him.

This service enables one police officer to complete all kinds of traffic transactions at one counter within five minutes. There are 19 counters at the Department. Following the opening ceremony, Dr Sheikh Sultan urged Sharjah Traffic Police officers to enhance services at the department and the way they deal with people.

"Those who are caught driving fast are not necessarily reckless drivers. They might have good reasons to drive fast, as they might be rushing a patient to hospital, or going late to their offices," he said.

The Ruler said that the number of traffic accidents in the emirate has increased. "Therefore, we have set up these new buildings which can accommodate a large number of people. However, we hope that fewer accidents occur and, consequently, the number of people coming here is reduced."

The Ruler attributed the huge number of accidents to the poorly-maintained roads and intersections in the emirate, as well as the great development which has taken place over the past few years.

"Thousands of vehicles cross the emirate daily as it is located between Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Even those vehicles coming from Abu Dhabi to the Northern Emirates pass through Sharjah," noted Dr Sheikh Sultan.

Dr Sheikh Sultan stated that the Ministry of Public Works and Housing had constructed a number of highways outside the city to make traffic run smoothly. He urged motorists to use these highways to ease pressure on internal roads in the city. "This will reduce congestion and, consequently, the number of traffic accidents."