<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/10/15/sharjah-police-foil-dh14m-drugs-plot-and-make-32-arrests/" target="_blank">Sharjah Police</a> confiscated drugs valued at more than Dh115.3 million ($31.4 million) last year, highlighting progress in the emirate's battle against trafficking. The force said there was a 24 per cent increase in drug seizures in 2023 compared to the previous year, with the interception of more than 1.1 tonnes of narcotics including 4.5 million tablets. Major drug hauls included <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/04/26/sharjah-police-seize-captagon-pills-and-hashish-worth-dh235m-in-twin-raids/" target="_blank">the “Black Bags” operation</a> in April, which led to the arrest of 24 suspects and the confiscation of 120kg of hashish alongside three million Captagon tablets valued at more than Dh23.5 million. In another operation in October, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/10/15/sharjah-police-foil-dh14m-drugs-plot-and-make-32-arrests/" target="_blank">Sharjah Police dismantled an international drug trafficking ring</a> and arrested 32 people linked to the attempted smuggling of 50kg of hashish, 49 litres of liquid crystal meth and more than one million pills containing psychotropic substances. The market value of these seized drugs was an estimated Dh14 million. These figures were shared during the force’s annual media briefing on Monday. Sharjah Police's anti-drug efforts also included the shutting down of more than 1,003 websites linked to drug promotion and the thwarting of more than 600 attempts to encourage drug use within the emirate. “The efforts in the fight against drugs are diverse and include launching multiple awareness-raising campaigns,” said Maj Gen Saif Al Shamsi, commander in chief of Sharjah Police. Maj Gen Al Shamsi also spoke about the importance of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/2023/05/24/sharjah-census-reveals-population-grew-22-per-cent-in-eight-years/" target="_blank">Sharjah census</a> data in helping the force shape strategic planning for future security infrastructure and pinpointing areas in need of more police services. “When you have precise figures, you can accurately channel your efforts towards effectively serving the public,” he said. “As a direct result of these insights, we are currently advancing plans to establish a new police station in Al Shnouf area.” Public security enhancements include the introduction of more cameras, with more than 89,770 now in position across the emirate, including live view and automatic number plate recognition cameras that read and digitalise vehicle registrations. Col Mohammed Al Naqbi, director of Sharjah Traffic Police, also highlighted the success of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/transport/2023/02/28/sharjah-to-offer-35-per-cent-discount-on-traffic-fines-paid-within-60-days/" target="_blank">the 35 per cent permanent discount initiative on traffic fines</a>, “with 242,000 vehicle licences being renewed after the fines imposed on them were settled”. Under the scheme introduced in April, the rate of prompt payment has also increased, with almost 63 per cent of all fines issued since the launch of the discount being settled within two months. Police are confident this is because the discount drops to 25 per cent if the fine is paid later than two months from the date of its issuance.
