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Motor race track plan for Sharjah

SHARJAH — With a reduction in the number of accidents, dud cheques and crimes, the society is more secure according to Major-General Humaid Al Hadidi, Chief of Sharjah Police Department. “Our society is more stable than ever,” he said at an open Press session.

“We have succeeded in decreasing the number of run-over and fatal accidents this year compared to other years,” he said. “When it comes to dud cheque cases, in 2009, we dealt with more than 21,000 cases while the number has dwindled drastically this year. The number of serious crimes has also declined, and less bank and car robberies have been reported. The number of street vendors and beggars have also come down,” he said.

He urged people to be discerning when it came to car repair workshops. All workshops are not licensed and could be operating in the emirate illegally. Such workshops often added acceleration tools and extra exhausts for more power, sounds and speed.

“Workshops engaged in such activities must know that what they are doing is illegal and that they will be heavily penalised if caught,” he said. “Motorists are also blamed for going to these workshops and jeopardising their lives. These workshops are not run by professionals. Any adjustment made in such workshops can jeopardise the road users’ life,’ said Al Hadidi.

In a bid to decrease the number of accidents, Sharjah Police has unveiled plans to execute a comprehensive race track project where motorists can participate in races and stunt shows and avoid racing in residential and commercial areas of the city according to Al Hadidi.

“Motorists interested in participating will have to initially go through a rehabilitation programme to ensure they are safe drivers,” he said

Al Hadidi added that the on going traffic safety campaign coincided with the holiday season and 6,625 violations were recorded during the first few days. This is a huge number taking into consideration that the campaign kicked off just a week ago. The main aim is to deter motorists from violating traffic rules.

A comprehensive study will be conducted on Sharjah roads and more Anjad patrols will be dispatched in areas where frequent accidents are likely to occur, he said. “Our main mission is not to issue and collect fines. The cost of installing road radars is far beyond the fines collected,” said Al Hadidi.

“I personally disagree with the idea of decreasing the fine amount,” he said. According to him, the idea of reducing the fine was initially executed to encourage motorists to improve their driving skills, but some motorists proved reckless.

“We have no plans of reducing the speed limit at any of the Sharjah roads,” he added.

Al Hadidi stressed that Anjad patrols usually arrived at the accident spot as soon as they were notified. He urged motorists to cooperate with the police on this issue. A number of woman medical staff have also been recruited, he said.

Al Hadidi said the plans for the new jail were delayed because of the shift in location. The new jail will be built at Al Maleeha area behind the Military Forces Camp.

Speaking on the rehabilitation programmes, Al Hadidi said that all inmates are being treated well. “We are offering the inmates rehabilitation programmes and inculcating good morals and values in them.

afkar@khaleejtimes.com

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