These patrol cars can soon spot criminals on UAE streets

Soon, wanted criminals roaming freely on the streets will be instantly nabbed - with the help of a smart patrol system set to be introduced by the Abu Dhabi Police.
A smart bar mounted on top of police vehicles will do live face recognition. This hi-tech system will be linked with the server of the central operations department, and its software can quickly check for a match with any criminal on the watch list.
If a match is found, the police officer at the site will be immediately informed for further action.
"We call this the 'smart bar', which will be deployed for smart patrol. It will be able to do facial recognition. We will get a notification if a wanted person is on the streets.
"This will be launched in the coming months. Not all vehicles will be changed together but it will be upgraded in phases, around five to 10 vehicles at a time," an Abu Dhabi Police officer said.
The smart bar 'combines' different advanced technologies and has multiple uses.
"Apart from face recognition system, the smart bar can detect plate numbers of wanted cars. There are surveillance cameras, which can also detect speeding vehicles and track other traffic violations."
Amid these developments, the police also opened the first smart gate on Abu Dhabi-Al Ain road to monitor weather conditions and catch drivers violating traffic rules.
These initiatives were the latest addition to the Abu Dhabi Police's growing list of smart technologies.
Other tech in place
The police have been using drones to monitor traffic flow, detect congestions, and direct patrols at hotspots.
They also have a smart towers system that alerts drivers on motorways through changing electronic messages, "catching red light runners", "traffic safety management", "analysing traffic accidents", "smart traffic awareness" and "diversions and heavy truck management".
Then, there are 'smart glasses' or augmented virtual reality glasses, which help officers catch criminals or wanted persons. The glasses have a micro-camera that uses AI to automatically scan hundreds of faces and notify authorities when it detects a wanted person.
The police are also using surveillance technology and monitoring software to ensure public safety.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi

Ashwani Kumar

Ashwani Kumar is a versatile journalist who explores every beat in Abu Dhabi with an insatiable curiosity. He loves uncovering stories that are informative and help readers form their own opinions.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com