WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF
Technology is changing the world of law enforcement and it’s important to experiment with new ideas that provide low visibility but highly effective policing.
A couple of weeks ago, and following on from the deployment of the regions first robot police officer at the Dubai Mall, the police force in Dubai, who want 25 percent of the force to be “robotic” by 2030, unveiled another small addition to their team – a small autonomous patrol car that will scour the city’s streets looking for criminals and suspicious objects. It will start duty by the end of the year.
The autonomous police car uses 360 degree surveillance technology and will be programmed to patrol specific areas, using a battery of biometric scanners to look for and identify suspects, identify suspicious objects, and in the event that a criminal chooses to leg it and run away from it, it comes with its own mini drone that it can launch to give chase.
Mind You Don’t Reverse Over It
The robot, named the O-R3, was developed by Singapore start up OTSAW Digital, and while it isn’t set to fully replace human officers the idea is that it can perform low level patrols and surveillance work in tourist areas.
“Essentially, we aim for the streets to be safe and peaceful without the need to deploy a heavy police patrol,” said Dubai police chief Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri.
Next time you go to Dubai keep an eye out for them and make sure you don’t trip over it – or you might get a ticket.
