Sharjah Police camera targets traffic offenders

Sharjah: Offenders jumping red lights will be named and shamed on Sharjah TV as part of police’s new strategy in raising awareness to reduce the number of accidents that rose by 4.5 per cent since 2012.

On a television show called The Observer which will air every Saturday at 7pm, CCTV footage will be shown featuring motorists who are jumping red lights across the emirates.

The police said they are attempting to educate people to abide by traffic rules and adhere to them to protect their lives and lives of others.

According to recent police statistics, there was an increase of 4.5 per cent of motorists who jumped red lights in 2011 as compared to 2012, from 4,577 to 5,291, and the numbers also increased in the first half of 2013 with a total of 6,553.

Major General Humaid Al Hudaidi, Commander in Chief of Sharjah Police, has given instructions to his officers to adapt modern methods in spreading awareness among public to combat negative practices in the community by exposing them to images of reckless and careless motorists on the roads.

“This is what is required at recent time to change the methods of spreading awareness to reach the desired goals. colonel Al Khayyal said .

The Sharjah Media Corporation is taking the initiative to help police raise awareness about the issue.

Colonel Sultan Al Khayyal, Head of Media section at Sharjah Police, said the movement came after a number of motorists were slow to respond to police awareness campaigns.

Accidents caused by jumping the red signal are the most serious of all and often cause death given high speed collisions that can occur from traffic travelling from different directions.

Sharjah Police attributed the increase in the number of offenses recorded this year because Sharjah Police installed 24 radars on traffic junction to monitor roads and catch offenders and the reporting of such incidents has gone up.