Dubai introduces world’s first smart police station

The world’s first Smart police station, launched by Dubai Police this week, will be in every neighborhood in the emirate according to a senior officer.

“We plan to open up a Smart Station in every neighborhood and we are in discussions with developers in Dubai to achieve that,” the general director of smart services at Dubai Police, Brig Khalid Al Razooqi, told Al Arabiya English.

The aim, he said, is to open up police services to a larger portion of the public in the emirate where people often hold back from reporting crimes for a number of reasons.

“People often do not want to report crimes because they feel that they will compromise their privacy, furthermore some people are intimidated by the fact that would have to go to a police station and deal with officers where language or customs would be a barrier therefore the Smart Police Station offers them private virtual interaction, direct access and a 24-hour service,” he said.

Sixty services are provided with 27 that involve direct contact with police through a 24-hour virtual connection to a control room and a further 33 that are fully automated.

The Smart Station provides private kiosks for members of the public to report incidents, crimes and complaints, Brig al-Razooqi explained.

“In many kinds of crimes that are reported privacy is required, when in the kiosk you are authentically identified through your Emirates ID for residents or your passport for visitors. A scanner and printer are provided when you file your complaint, then you would be connected to a police officer through video conference where your statement would be taken and the case discussed,” he said.

“You would be able to file documents, scan images and upload evidence required and as soon as all the requirements are completed you will be printed a document to sign and scan back and finally you will receive a copy of the filed case,” he added.

Fines services provided also include cash payment systems, credit cards and near field communication (NFC) systems.

“Members of the public would be able to pay with the NFC systems like Samsung pay and other providers, despite that some members still prefer to use cash and we have that provision available also”.

Soon Smart Stations in every neighborhood in Dubai.

Currently, Dubai Police is working on creating virtual access from your home however authentication systems are still being worked on, Brig al-Razooqi added.

The launch of Smart Stations is part of Dubai Police’s Smart Plan to provide completely virtual access for the public to police services by 2030.

Last year at the Gulf International Technology Exhibition, Dubai Police’s first Dubai Police robot officer was introduced; the robo-cop was launched in May this year.

“We are aiming to provide more human-free stations in the near future however we will not be forsaking the human element but streamlining the process that it is accessible, private and easy for the public to utilize,” he said.