UAE: Sharjah Police seize drugs worth Dh115 million in 2023 – News

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

This reflects a 24 percent increase in drug seizures from the previous year.

The force also blocked 1,003 websites that were used to promote drugs. It has also managed to thwart more than 600 drug promotion attempts within the emirate.

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

He also said that the census helped them identify hot spots to prepare accordingly. “With accurate data at hand, we can direct our efforts more effectively towards meeting the needs of the public,” said the Sharjah police chief.

The security improvements 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 Colonel Mohammed Alay Al Naqbi, director of Sharjah traffic police.

He also said that the permanent 35 percent discount on traffic fines has helped significantly as it encouraged people to pay their fines and renew their vehicle licenses, leading to 242,000 vehicle licenses being renewed after fines will be settled.

It added that 63 per cent of all new fines issued last year since the launch of the discount were paid within two months of the date of issue.

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

He mentioned that technology is being used to monitor which roads are most congested and seek solutions in meetings with its strategic partner, the Road and Transportation Authority.

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

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

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