Col Omar Moosa Ashoor, the deputy head of Naif police station. Antonie Robertson / The National.
Col Omar Moosa Ashoor, the deputy head of Naif police station. Antonie Robertson / The National.
Col Omar Moosa Ashoor, the deputy head of Naif police station. Antonie Robertson / The National.
Col Omar Moosa Ashoor, the deputy head of Naif police station. Antonie Robertson / The National.

Drones with facial recognition help police in Naif clamp down on crime


Salam Al Amir
  • English
  • Arabic

Drones have helped police in the Naif area of Dubai clamp down on illegal activity, including people flouting Covid-19 safety rules.

When movement restrictions were enforced in most of the district last year, drones were deployed to remind the public of the importance of adhering to them.

“From nearly three kilometres that make the entire of Naif area, 2.9km were under closure as part of the safety measures last year,” said Col Omar Moosa Ashoor, the deputy head of Naif police station.

The size of the area made challenging for officers to ensure it was properly policed at a time when the Covid-19 rules were relatively new to everyone.

“Therefore, we started broadcasting audio messages in different languages to raise awareness about safety measures put in place to stem the spread of coronavirus, while also reminding people to adhere to them,” he said

High-tech methods

The drones can zoom in on people in public places
The drones can zoom in on people in public places

In November last year, drones equipped with facial recognition technology were also used to detect all sorts of violations and suspicious or criminal activities, and help to capture wanted suspects.

Drones are flown over Naif, Al Ras and Eyal Nasser areas with cameras that can zoom in on people in public places and record activity from the sky.

They can spot individuals not wearing face masks, pedestrians crossing from undesignated areas and cars violating traffic rules.

In the first three months of this year, drones caught 4,400 violations, including 518 people not wearing a face mask.

Another 3,767 cases were traffic violations involving cars, motorbikes and bicycles.

Drones also detected 37 pedestrians crossing roads from undesignated areas and located 159 cars that were wanted for security reasons.

They also helped officers see offenders committing crimes from a distance.

“In one incident, officers saw a man selling something in a suspicious manner and reported it to the teams on the ground,” said Col Ashoor.

The man was found to be selling banned substances.

He and his customers were arrested and referred to prosecutors, and the substances were seized.

“Not only that, using drones has also helped us see what are the things that are not police-related but need to be attended to,” Col Ashoor said.

“For example, during the closure (lockdown), through the use of drones, we saw crowding near ATM machines as people wanted to make sure they have had enough cash.”

Officers coordinated with the central bank and made sure cash was available at all ATM machines in the area to prevent crowding.

Col Ashoor said that between May last year and the end of May 2021, the station recorded 15,529 violations involving people failing to wear face masks or keep a safe distance.

BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPyppl%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEstablished%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAntti%20Arponen%20and%20Phil%20Reynolds%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20financial%20services%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2418.5%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20150%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20series%20A%2C%20closed%20in%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20venture%20capital%20companies%2C%20international%20funds%2C%20family%20offices%2C%20high-net-worth%20individuals%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima


Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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