Dubai Police take help of public to catch unruly drivers

Dubai - The violations were documented in videos and photographs sent by participants for the programme.

In an interesting awareness initiative by the Dubai Police, the public was given a chance to play the police.
The 'We Are Police' programme asked people to send in videos and photographs of violations being committed on roads. The Dubai Police recorded 3,748 violations photographed by the public in a span of 10 months, according to a top official.
The violations were documented in videos and photographs sent by participants for the programme.
Colonel Saif Muhair, Director of the Traffic Department, said that this reflects the strong cooperation of local residents. He also revealed that the police have deployed a number of radars that also photograph road shoulder violations, as the department wants to clamp down on traffic violations that endanger people's lives.
The majority of photos sent in by residents showed parking violations or causing traffic chaos. Colonel Muhair said that they also receive calls from people about reckless drivers, but police must follow procedures and document any violations before taking any action.
The "We Are Police" programme has introduced a smart application that allows people to send more photos and videos. The cooperation of people, he said, will be particularly important to enhance road safety.
He said that many drivers only abide by the laws if they see police patrols, and that local residents can help catch such drivers. They can report road violations by sending in a photograph of the car or entering the vehicle's number (on its number plate) into the police smart services platforms, or by calling 8004353.
However, Colonel Muhair said that the police are particular in ensuring that photographs of the driver or of other passengers in his are not taken to avoid violating privacy laws.
amira@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai