Dubai Police's drone-deploying driverless road patrols

The autonomous vehicles have been designed to adapt to the challenges of the fight against crime

The M01 at the World Police Summit, which brings together law enforcement officers, police departments and organisations from more than 50 countries. All photos: Salam Al Amir / The National

The M02 is buggy-like and can drive on narrow roads.

The Dubai-built police vehicle Giath is custom made and equipped with artificial-intelligence systems.

The Giath is on display at the inaugural World Police Summit in Dubai.

The next generation of patrol cars at the World Police Summit.

The M01 will be able to drive on all roads.

The Giath at the World Police Summit at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Dubai Police have unveiled a futuristic fleet of driverless vehicles aimed at keeping the force one step ahead of criminals.

The autonomous cars can deploy drones and use artificial intelligence to predict potential criminal activity.

The machine-learning patrols will be able to “communicate” directly with police operation rooms to boost the fight against crime.

The cutting-edge patrols were on display on the opening day of the inaugural World Police Summit at Expo 2020 Dubai on Monday.

“There are two versions, the M01, which will be able to access all roads, and the buggy-like M02, which is dedicated for narrow roads and dense residential neighbourhoods,” said Col Mansoor Al Gargawi, director of Administration Affairs Department at Dubai Police.

“It has been equipped with smart technology.

“The electric motor has a machine-learning feature which means it can detect patterns of criminal activities or accidents that happen around it.”

“It learns on its own. For example, an area that has been very quiet and begins to witness more traffic, the car will notice that and add the new details to its database,” said Col Al Gargawi.

The cutting-edge vehicles are equipped with cameras, 4D imagine radars, data analysis and face recognition features.

Police have been working on the M01 and M02 since 2018, with an official launch date still to be confirmed.

'The beast' looms large

A beefed-up version of a burly 4x4 known as “the Beast” — the Ghiath — was also on show at the event.

Police said a deal had been struck with manufacturer W Motors to put 10 more of the massive SUV's on the roads.

The custom-made vehicle costs between Dh390,000 and Dh650,000 ($106,000-$177,000), depending on the modifications added.

“We have been in several meetings with Dubai Police to find out their requirements in order to add those to the car,” said a spokesman from Safe City Group, which teamed up with W Motors to build the car.

The security patrol car is equipped with artificial-intelligence systems, facial-recognition technology, a set of touchscreens, eight cameras and advanced communication system linked directly with the Command Operations Room.

Dubai Police car fleet - in pictures