Sharjah to spend Dh30m on high-tech CCTV

Close circuit television (CCTV) surveillance systems will be installed in Sharjah to help police and other security forces to have an eye on the public to enhance security services and prevent crimes.
The best and latest surveillance cameras are currently being used on Sharjah roads. The step of installing the newly advanced cameras comes as part of the Sharjah Police's ambitious project titled ‘Sharjah is a safe city'.
Details about the project were unveiled during a press conference chaired by Major General Humaid Mohammad Al Hadidi, Commander-in-Chief of the Sharjah Police
More than 500 video cameras will be installed on key roads and vital places in the emirate in the first phase of the project, which will last for five years. A total of 3,000 video cameras will be installed depending on the need.
The first phase will cost Dh30 million.
Sharjah Police have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dell to upgrade its city surveillance.
Maj Gen Al Hudaidi said, adding that Sharjah Police would be the third police force in the world to implement this advanced project. The project took two years of study to come to fruition.Maj Gen Al Hudaidi said that the police will cooperate with business premises and owners of buildings and hotels to install the new cameras to enhance security and those who do not cooperate with the authorities will be penalised.
Dell will overhaul the existing city surveillance infrastructure, and replace it with a comprehensive state-of-the art system to improve video surveillance, data analysis, evidence tracking and response time.
The infrastructure hardware and software has been tailored to suit the specific needs of the Sharjah Police Department and, following the roll-out, Sharjah Police will have deeper and wider coverage, improved rapid response, sharper investigation and evidence tracking abilities, as well as increased transparency.
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to enhance the security infrastructure of Sharjah Police, which is key to the success of the Sharjah Police Department. The range of measures that are being implemented are reflective of the importance that the emirate of Sharjah places on safety, and we are confident that the addition of modern systems and applications into their arsenal of tools will have positive, impactful and far reaching results,” Dave Brooke, General Manager of Dell in the Middle East, said.
"This collaboration signifies our continued efforts to protect the residents of Sharjah as the city continues to grow and develop. The implementation is key to our ability to monitor and store vast amounts of information that is crucial to safeguarding the security of Sharjah. Through Dell's expertise and scalable end-to-solutions we believe we have the tools to support our current endeavours, in addition to a foundation for future growth,” Lt Col Khalid Ahmad Bu Hindi, Director of the Electronic and Communication Department, said.
Capt. Faisal Bin Amer, Head of Sharjah Police IT Department, told Gulf News that all new areas, which will be built in the future, will be covered by the new system.
The new project is carried out in cooperation with Sharjah Municipality, the Planning and Survey Department, Roads and Transport authority and e-government.
These cameras will be connected to the Sharjah Police's operations room and give regular updates about road safety and traffic flow through the implementation of the latest communication methods, including the internet protocol connect and the 3G LTE.
The operations room will also be renovated and equipped with latest data centres that can guarantee efficient reception, display, storage and protection of data.
These cameras will be used in various fields including its ability to read cars' number plates and monitoring traffic flow; and police patrols will also be equipped with these cameras.
The ‘Sharjah is a safe city' project will positively contribute to achieving the objectives of the police in ensuring the safety of the emirate by using the latest techniques in the field of security