Dubai Police reveal driverless patrols at World Police Summit at Expo 2020 Dubai

Dubai: Dubai Police’s new driverless patrols dazzled attendees at World Police Summit in Dubai on Monday while demonstrating a major leap into the future of policing. The driverless police patrols will secure Dubai streets in the future.

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the summit kicked off on Monday at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020 Dubai.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, was present at the summit with officials and police chiefs from different countries.

During his visit, Sheikh Hamdan toured the event’s exhibition area, which features the participation of 250 local and international exhibitors. He was then briefed about the products and services on display, including the latest technologies used in crime prevention, forensic science, and policing.

Machine-learning patrols

Dubai Police’s futuristic patrols use artificial intelligence and 360-degree surveillance technology while looking for criminals and suspicious objects.

“The new high-tech Dubai Police vehicles can recognise faces and patrol in the city without human intervention. It is the most advanced police vehicle in the world to date,” said Colonel Mansoor Al Gargawi, Director of Administration Affairs Department at Dubai Police.

“There are two versions, the M01 which will be able to access all roads and the buggy-like M02 which is dedicated for narrow roads and dense residential neighbourhoods.”

The patrol has a machine-learning feature, which means it can detect patterns of criminal activities or accidents that happen around it and alert Dubai Police command room. “It learns on its own. Let’s say there is an area that has been very quite but begins to witness more traffic, the car will notice that and add the new details to its data-base,” said Col Al Gargawi.

The vehicles are equipped with their own drone that can launch to give chase to suspects. The patrol has cameras, 4D imagine radars, data analysis and face recognition features.

New drone

Moreover, Dubai Police presented a new advanced drone called ‘DJI M300 RTK’, which can zoom 200 times and identify objects clearly from 500m. It has a thermal camera and high quality cameras that can detect faces and car plate numbers from distance. It also has a 3D camera to make a map for any area.

Captain Mohammed Al Muhairi, head of unmanned aerial systems centre at Dubai Police, said the drone can be used in various operations like searching for lost people in the desert and monitoring suspicious activities or traffic.

“We have the ‘drone box’, a platform to dispatch drones across Dubai to reduce police response time to criminal and traffic reports from 4.4 minutes to 1 minute. It is already operating at Expo 2020 Dubai,” said Capt Al Muhairi.

The platforms will be dispatched in different places to cover vital sectors of Dubai by 2025. “It has AI system that can recognize faces and linked to the command centre.”

About the summit

Hosted by Dubai Police, the World Police Summit hosts a dedicated exhibition along with six conferences, and five special event features. With over 150 internationally renowned organisations exhibiting, the World Police Summit promises to be a platform for the international police community to source the latest innovations and technologies in the national security landscape.

The summit features four days of conferences, keynote addresses, and panel discussions with experts from organisations such as the United Nations, Interpol, various city and state police forces, as well as private sector organisations with policing-focused products and solutions.