UAE: Over Dh115-million worth drugs seized by Sharjah Police in 2023

During its annual media briefing, Sharjah Police announced it had seized over 1.1 tonnes of drugs and 4.5 million psychedelic tablets last year, worth more than Dh115.3 million.

This reflects a 24 per cent increase in drug seizures from the year before.

The force also blocked 1,003 websites that were used to promote drugs. It has also succeeded in foiling over 600 drug promotion attempts inside the emirate.

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Major General Saif Mohammad Al-Zari Al-Shamsi, the Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, highlighted how the Sharjah Census results helped them better plan for future projects, such as building new police stations in certain residential areas and new communities.

He also said the census helped them identify hot zones to prepare accordingly. “With accurate data at hand, we can direct our efforts more effectively towards serving the public's needs,” said the Sharjah Police Chief.

Security enhancements included increasing the number of security cameras across the emirate to 89,772, including live view and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras.

More radars have also been installed across the emirate, said Col Mohammed Alay Al Naqbi, Director of Sharjah Traffic Police.

He also said the permanent 35 per cent discount on traffic fines has significantly helped, as it encouraged people to settle their fines and renew their vehicle licenses, leading to 242,000 vehicle licenses being renewed after the fines were settled.

He added that all new fines issued last year since the launch of the discount have seen 63 per cent of them being paid within two months from the date of issuance.

“People wanted to benefit from the full 35 percent discount, which declines to only 25 percent if the fine is paid after two months from the date of issuance,” he said.

He mentioned that technology is being used to monitor which roads are more congested and to find solutions in meetings with their strategic partner, the Roads and Transport Authority.

Solutions include 48 AI-operated traffic signals that turn red or green based on the number of cars. “A control room at Sharjah RTA handles these signals, which will make traffic flow smoother.”

“There are other plans being discussed to help improve traffic,” he said.

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