Abu Dhabi Police (ADP) has provided its field personnel with high-quality chest-mounted digital cameras.

The cameras, which are placed next to the officers’ personal identity cards, have been equipped with several techniques that are the result of two years’ worth of testing, experimentation, development and analysis, said a statement.

It has been designed to promote the process of development and modernisation, and to improve performance through the introduction of the best international practices in the provision of quality services to the public, it said.

Major general Omair Muhammad Al Muhairi, director general of Police Operations at Abu Dhabi Police, said that the use of these cameras is part of ADP’s efforts to harness all human and technical capabilities to bolster the process of sustained development.

He said that using this modern technology will enhance the performance of police officers, and allow them to learn about the realities of fieldwork through photographing and documenting what is happening on the ground.

These cameras will enable the observer to make an appropriate decision in the promotion, support and requirements of the personnel depending on the situation they may be facing, he pointed out.

Major Al Muhairi also explained that these videos can be used to design training programmes that enable police officers to become acquainted with all of the details of fieldwork, and to stay abreast with the developments in accordance with the best international standards.

The technology has been used in many developed countries for crime prevention programmes as it achieves high rates of enhanced security and reassurance to members of the community, he said.

Lt Colonel Yusuf Al Ahmad, head of the Field Photography Section at the Directorate General of Police Operations, noted that the cameras had been distributed to police stations for use by the field patrols.  

“The camera contains a storage unit enabling it to last for 8 hours as it continuously works and records work procedures and responses. Every police officer, upon ending his or her shift, must hand the camera over to the competent technical unit to be uploaded to the servers intended for this purpose,” he said.

Lt Col Al Ahmad emphasised that the material recorded can be used to document and analyse the modern methods used in committing crimes, and will be useful for developing plans to address and reduce such crimes.

The recorded material may also be used to determine the performance of police officers in the field, identify their training needs in some areas, and hone their skills so as to enhance public confidence in the police institution, he said.

The material will also be useful for gauging the responses and actions of community members and how they treat police patrols, he added. - TradeArabia News Service