Dubai Police was among the early adopters of big data and uses it to solve or even prevent crime and make the city safer. Thanks to its modern departments – such as the forensic engineering and nuclear physics departments – Dubai Police has been able to solve crimes with a mere footprint of the suspect.
The force has been successfully using the AI-enabled ‘kinetic footprint’ technology to identify criminals by their body movements even when fingerprints are absent from the crime scene. Captured by a special 3D camera, the technology helps reconstruct accurately the suspect’s movement of joints and unique physical characteristics, such as walking, excessive rotation of the foot, etc. This is then compared with the conduct of the suspects, to the manner in which they walk, etc., to nab criminals.
Dubai Police unveiled its predictive policing software a few years ago. Called Crime Prediction, the software studies existing intelligence and crime patterns from police databases and, using sophisticated algorithms, produces highly accurate data related to when and where crime is likely to occur next. This intelligence in turn forms the basis for patrol teams’ decisions about areas where it could deploy additional resources to prevent potential criminal activity. This software is uniquely intelligent in its capability to accurately discern intricate patterns of criminal behaviour in seemingly unconnected events and then predict the probability of reoccurrence.
Human intelligence
The intelligence isn’t just artificial, though. Having the technology at your disposal is only half the battle. The other half is putting it to use innovatively, which Dubai Police demonstrated decisively when it started using its surveillance cameras to boost Covid-19 detection rates. The force’s Oyoon (Arabic for eyes) project involves a network of tens of thousands of AI-powered cameras equipped with facial recognition software.
Last year, as Covid-19 infections started rising across the country, Dubai Police equipped the CCTV cameras dotted across the emirate’s streets with thermal imaging technology to pick up a rise in body temperature – a common symptom of Covid-19 – and alert authorities to potential coronavirus cases.
In March 2020, Dubai Police also started using drones to share critical information with the public about dealing with the pandemic. The use of drones was an innovative way of communicating with the public without risking further transmission of the Covid-19 virus.
Despite being situated in one of the most volatile regions, the UAE consistently ranks among the safest countries in the world. While the country definitely has its wise leaders’ judicious policies to thank for that, a part of the credit is shared by its law enforcement agencies.
The famous luxury patrol line-up
Dubai Police’s penchant for luxury cars isn’t new. The city had Mercedes as its first police car in 1965 and then BMWs joined the fleet as the force expanded. Today, Dubai has the world’s most expensive fleet of police cars – and also the most expensive cop car ever. While Dubai Police hasn’t (yet) used its super-luxury cars in a high-speed chase, one can often find one of these hypercars parked strategically at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown or another tourist hotspot.
It isn’t unheard of a starry-eyed tourist or even resident calling up Dubai Police to enquire about the parked location of its fleet of luxury cars. After all, if you’re in town, why miss the opportunity of clicking a selfie with the fastest beasts on road?
Dubai Police is the proud owner of an Aston Martin One-77, one of only 77 such cars manufactured. At $2-million apiece, it is touted as the world’s most expensive police car ever. The One-77 supercar has a carbon fibre body and comes with a top speed of 220 miles per hour (354kmph).
Dubai Police also owns the $1.6-million Bugatti Veyron, the fastest police car. Its 16-cylinder engine (let that sink in) is capable of producing, wait for it, a heart-stopping 1,000 horsepower that can take it a top speed of 253mph (407kmph) and from 0-60mph in a mere 2.5 seconds. Just to compare, the world’s fastest rollercoaster (Formula Rossa, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi) maxes out at a top speed of 240kmph.
Also included in the fleet is McLaren MP4-12C, which can manage 321kmph with a massive 604 horsepower under its hood.
The four-seater Ferrari FF is another beauty in the force’s fleet. The all-wheel-drive V12-powered supercar does 0-60mph in just 3.7 seconds, with a top speed of 208mph (335kmph).
A Porsche 918 Spyder is also in the fleet. The limited-production mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car retailed at a base price of $945,000 during its production years (2013-15). The supercar has a top speed of 211mph (340kmph) and Porsche’s official stats show that it can go from 0 to 60mph in 2.6 seconds. However, those numbers were trumped in independent tests. The two-seater achieved 0-60mph in 2.2 seconds in the auto magazine Car and Driver‘s test.
Then there’s the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, with a top speed of 315kmph (195mph) and which accelerates from 0-100kmph in 3.8 seconds. You might have noticed that some of the other supercars in the Dubai Police fleet have butterfly doors, but this one comes with gull-wing doors (a.k.a. falcon-wing doors).
With a roaring 552 horsepower, the 6L 12-cylinder Bentley Continental GT tops out at a speed of 318kmph and goes from 0-100kmph in 4.8 seconds.
Featuring a Biturbo direct-injection 2.9-litre V6 engine, the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid packs a neat 416 horsepower that achieves an acceleration from 0-100 kmph in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 270 kmph. The Panamera S E-Hybrid, a parallel plug-in hybrid model, provides a total concept that networks the car and its driver in an intelligent way. It can drive considerable distances in all-electric mode, with a range of up to 36 km and an electric driving top speed of 135 kmph. The Panamera S E-Hybrid consumes 3.1 litres per 100km, which equates to 71 g/km CO2 emissions.
The bespoke G63 AMG (Brabus’ B63S 700) sports a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 engine tuned up to 700 horsepower. That’s enough to power the beast from 0 to 60mph in 4.9 seconds and for a top speed of 149mph (240kmph).
It also has the Lamborghini Aventador, which comes with a 691hp mid-mounted V12 engine, can go from 0-100kmph in 3 seconds and has a top speed of almost 350kmph.
The Tesla Cybertruck also joined the fleet in 2020. The purpose-built electric vehicle is designed to be taken off-road and is said to be good for an 800-km trip on a single charge. The Cybertruck is capable of tying a maximum capacity of 6,350kg and can also accelerate from 0-100kmph in around 3 seconds thanks to the instant torque from the electric motors.
In 2021, it bolstered the fleet with the Toyota GR Supra, one of the most sought-after sports cars since its return after a 17-year wait. The 3L powerhouse hits the 100kmph mark in just 4.1 seconds and accelerates to a top speed of 250km/h.
Dubai Police added a Genesis GV80 2021, the first SUV from Hyundai’s premium brand, to its fleet of luxury patrol cars in May 2021. The GV80 is the first SUV powered by a standard turbocharged four-cylinder or a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V-6 engine. It can go from 0-100kmph in 5.4 seconds and has a top speed of 240kmph.
Eye in the sky
Beyond the roads, Dubai Police have also taken an aerial view on fighting crime and maintaining order. In keeping with its tradition of innovation, the force unveiled a monitoring drone as long back as May 2013. The drone was introduced to put an end to disturbances at sporting events held at big stadia. The drone can stay afloat for one hour and is capable of taking accurate images while simultaneously transmitting its feed to the operations room.
In October 2014, Dubai Police got itself equipped with Google Glass with a sticker price of $1,500 a pair. It was used in the traffic control sector, with Glass automatically identifying vehicles with traffic violations.
Dubai Police has also toyed with the idea of a surveillance blimp as part of a plan to reduce the number of policemen and strengthen community ties. Never one to shy away from experimenting, Dubai Police displayed its flying motorbike at Gitex 2017 and started a training programme for its officers two years later.
The $150,000 hoverbike, in the white and green livery of the Dubai Police, is a model of electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle. Officers have been trained to fly the Hoversurf as a first responder unit to access hard-to-reach areas as flies at a safe altitude of 16 feet.
In May 2016, Dubai Police began using Safe City Solutions, a collection of IoT and other tools for predictive policing and road safety. The platform includes video surveillance with intelligent search, facial recognition, licence plate detection, and alerts for traffic violations such as speeding. The platform is based on a variety of technologies including LAN, WLAN, microwave, LTE and solar power supply. It includes analytics functions, real-time object tracking, intrusion detection and video browsing.
The Smart Road Safety solution can automatically recognise a licence plate and track a vehicle across the city. It can also detect traffic offences such as speeding and running red lights, and alert the relevant unit. The Smart Road Safety solution can also aggregate traffic data and generate multiple reports to aid decision-making.
Soft power
In its quest to nab criminals and keep residents and visitors safe, though, Dubai Police hasn’t let go of its softer side. Dubai Police is a pioneer in carrying out community-based initiatives. The supercops of Dubai Police routinely help fulfil children’s wishes of riding a supercar or becoming a cop even if for just a day.
There have been several occasions when the good-at-heart officers of the tourism department of Dubai Police have taken children on a joyride in their luxury patrol cars, even offering them goodie bags and toys. They’ve helped children who’ve approached them through Make-a-Wish Foundation and fulfilled their wishes. They’ve helped people of determination (those with disabilities) achieve their long-cherished dreams. They’ve helped fund horse-riding lessons and other training workshops for underprivileged children. Dubai isn’t just safer, but it is also a happier place thanks to Dubai Police.
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