Smart multi-storey parking facilities coming to Dubai Police stations

The automated parking lots will be installed at all police stations starting with those in Naif, Rifaa and Muraqqabat

Visitors to Dubai Police stations will no longer have to search for a place to park their cars.

On Monday Maj Gen Abdullah Al Marri, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, announced that multi-storey smart parking facilities would be installed at all stations, starting with those in Naif, Rifaa and Muraqqabat.

Brig Naeem Al Khatib, director of revenues and funds in the finance department of Dubai Police, said the smart parking system was part of Dubai Police’s efforts to improve customer service by implementing the latest technologies.

The three stations were included in the first phase because of limited parking and heavy traffic in the areas, said Brig Al Khatib.

He said the police were studying different multi-storey smart parking models including those used in detention centres for impounded cars.

The system will work like an automated valet whereby the motorist is issued a ticket after submitting their car. The car will then be lifted to an empty space and returned to the driver once the ticket is resubmitted into the system. The entire process will be automated, police said.

The motorist will be able to monitor the process via a smartphone app developed by Dubai Police.

“There will be a fee that will be decided later for parking the cars,” Brig Al Khatib said.

In February this year the Roads and Transport Authority began work on two Smart Parking facilities in Al Rigga and the area surrounding the World Trade Centre.

The RTA installed about 2,000 ground sensors in the covered parking lots to detect available spaces and direct motorists to vacant slots.