Dubai: By next year, there will be 30 new cameras dedicated to automatically fining motorists who do not abide by lane discipline or cutting into traffic, Dubai Police have announced.
This is one of six new projects that the Dubai Police Operations Department is currently working on and was announced on Tuesday.
Brigadier Kamel Butti Al Suwaidi, Director of the Department of Operations at Dubai Police, said these projects are part of their creativity and innovation plan, which is in line with the Dubai Government announcement of 2015 as the year of creativity and innovation.
The other projects are installing 70 high-resolution cameras across Dubai to scan vehicle numbers for wanted vehicles, smart motorcycles with 4G, a programme that analyses data and statistics and identifies areas with worrying crimes, as well as a new system that will make it easier for officers in the operation room to access information, in addition to the chest cameras or “camera-cards” that were announced previously.
Brig Al Suwaidi said the 30 cameras that will fine people for not adhering to lane discipline, driving on the hard shoulder or cutting into traffic will first send the violation to an officer who will double check the accuracy of the incident and approve the fine.
This, he said, is to reduce any errors. But the cameras will be able to identify the violation without human interference, he added.
He said the other 70 cameras that will monitor roads for stolen or wanted vehicles will alert the operations room and patrols in the area once a wanted or stolen vehicle passes by the area. This will make catching violators faster and easier.
These cameras will be installed in areas with a high concentration of traffic.
Brig Al Suwaidi said the programme that will help identify areas with a higher percentage of “worrying crimes” will help the police so that more patrols can be assigned to those areas.
“We have already started testing 100 camera cards, and we have trained some officers on how to use these. We are going to check the feedback and results of the trial in six months.”
The smart motorcycle will be connected to the operations room via 4G and will be fitted with a system that helps the officer check the vehicle’s information. “We are looking into fitting a radar, fingerprint and face recognition devices on the motorcycle too.”
Dubai already has between 30,000-35,000 cameras installed, many of which are connected to the operations room.
Brig Omar Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Deputy Director of Operations at Dubai Police, said that cameras across the city are placed in public areas and do not violate people’s privacy.
