Undercover police target bad drivers

A new fleet of 'Q-cabs' are being used as unmarked police cars in a campaign to catch reckless drivers.

Abu Dhabi // Be sure to be on your best behaviour the next time you flag down a gold-and-white taxi - for the driver may be an undercover policeman. The cabs are among a new fleet of 48 vehicles being used as unmarked police cars in a campaign to catch reckless drivers. Their introduction more than doubles the unmarked fleet. The increase follows a police campaign against tailgating - driving too close to the vehicle in front - in which officers found that there were more drivers breaking the law than abiding by it. Officials said yesterday that the rented vehicles, which also include SUVs and compact cars, had now been deployed. They will be driven by plainclothes officers from Abu Dhabi Police's traffic investigation section, on the lookout for motorists who flout road rules or drive dangerously. Lt Col Hamad al Ameri, the head of the section, said 30 unmarked cars would be used in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, 10 in Tarif city and eight in Al Mafraq. "Monitoring roads through unmarked cars is one of the creative methods used in developed countries and has proved effective when it comes to raising the level of road safety," said Maj Gen Nasser al Naimi, the director general of the Ministry of Interior. Since the start of the year, police have launched a major effort to improve road safety. [e-mail]