Drones catch 518 people without masks in Naif, Dubai Police issue fines

Dubai: Dubai Police have issued 518 fines to people for not wearing a mask in the Naif area after spotting them through advanced drones, an official said.

Brigadier Tarik Tahlak, Director of Naif Police Station, said the project to use drones to detect different types of violations is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the region.

“The drones have the latest face recognition technology and can record [footage] in narrow streets and alleys. During the first quarter of the year, drones caught 518 people not wearing masks,” Brig. Tahlak said.

Besides catching people who are not following precautionary measures to curb COVID-19, drones are also being used to detect crimes. A total of 4,400 violations were recorded by the drones this year, including failure to wear masks.

The drones helped Dubai Police issue 2,933 fines for traffic violations, 128 fines to cyclists, 159 cases for wanted cars and 706 fines for illegal use of e-scooters.

Drones were also used to issue 37 fines to jaywalkers.

“The project was launched after intensive studies. We used two drones in Naif that has commercial and residential areas. The drones can identify the faces, plate numbers of cars as well as take close-up shots of streets in a way that can’t be felt by people,” Brig. Tahlak added.

Moreover, drones detected people selling illegal substances in the streets and they were arrested on the spot.

According to Brig. Tahlak, fraudsters were also caught by drones while trying to con people. “The drones can record the streets and that helped prevent crimes and close security flaws.”

The drone-recordings helped victims identify suspects in record time.