Dubai unveils a smart police car that catches Visa offenders
Many people worry about technology's surveillance capabilities - now all that's been stuffed into a police car.
Key takeaways
- The vehicle is equipped with six cameras placed around its body, giving it full 360-degree coverage.
- The smart car is one of several new tech initiatives launched by ICP at Gitex 2025 as part of a broader push to digitalise inspection and immigration functions.
- The plan comes amid heightened enforcement activity: in the first half of 2025, the ICP flagged over 32,000 visa violations, including overstays and unlawful employment.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2025) 'Dubai unveils a smart police car that catches Visa offenders', 311 Institute, 27 October. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/dubai-unveils-a-smart-police-car-that-catches-visa-offenders/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
You may not see it, but a new car on UAE roads could be watching you. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) is launching a fully electric “smart inspection car” designed to identify visa and residency violations.
The vehicle is equipped with six cameras placed around its body, giving it full 360-degree coverage. It can capture facial images of people within roughly 10 metres of the car. The system integrates with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a bespoke dashboard to present heat maps and alerts in real time, said Faris Almaeeni, Foreign Affairs Systems Department Manager, ICP.
“It’s fully electrical. It has its own dashboard, and it’s working with the AI, so it gives you some heat maps,” he said.
Though highly automated in its sensing and analytic functions, the car is not driverless. Officers will drive it as part of their routine patrols and review flagged individuals on screen.
“This is not fully automated,” he clarified.
ICP plans to deploy the first units in early 2026. The rollout will begin within Dubai before expanding to other emirates.
When the car detects a potential violation, such as someone whose residency status is expired or unlawful, the procedure does not end at the dashboard. An officer will approach the person, verify their documents, and attempt to resolve the situation through standard legal channels.
“The officer will go down and he will speak with him, and they will try to solve his issue with the being illegal in UAE,” Almaeeni said.
The smart car is one of several new tech initiatives launched by ICP at Gitex 2025 as part of a broader push to digitalise inspection and immigration functions.
The plan comes amid heightened enforcement activity: in the first half of 2025, the ICP flagged over 32,000 visa violations, including overstays and unlawful employment.
If successful, the smart inspection car could accelerate detection, cut down field-manual verification time, and allow faster response in violation cases.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Many people worry about technology's surveillance capabilities - now all that's been stuffed into a police car.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 27 October 2025. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2025). Dubai unveils a smart police car that catches Visa offenders. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/dubai-unveils-a-smart-police-car-that-catches-visa-offenders/
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