Now you can pay traffic fines while you shop in Sharjah

People can pay traffic fines, apply for driving licences and good conduct certificates, as well as immigration services, at new station in Sahara Mall.

Police officer Jasim Mohammed Al Kalbani gives a visitor information about his vehicle registration at the mall station. Charles Crowell for The National

SHARJAH // Shoppers can now pay their traffic fines while they browse the stores with the opening of a new police station at Sahara Mall.

The station, which will also offer immigration and other police services, is the first of its kind for the emirate, said Brig Abdullah Mubarak Al Dukhan, the deputy director general of Sharjah Police.

"The experience of this station could encourage us to open similar ones in other shopping centres," he said. "At present we have a study of two other similar stations, one in Al Dhaid and another in the eastern region but we need to first see how this one works."

The station is open to the shoppers as well as residents of the Al Nahda and Al Khan neighbourhoods and nearby industrial areas.

Engineer Omar Abdullah Al Suwaidi, the director of police stations in Sharjah, said police certificates, such as ones for good conduct, were available at the mall station, which also has a traffic and licensing section where people can pay their fines and process licences.

"We shall only be considering new vehicles for one to three years registration and renewal as they don't require testing and we don't have testing services here," he said.

Civil Defence will also host fire safety programmes for the shoppers at the station.

Muhammad Shahwani, who was shopping at Sahara Mall, said it was always good to have easy access to police services, particularly at shopping centres.

"Going to a police station for a minor matter can be daunting but if the police are in a mall where we always go, one can easily pass by and get the service from there," he said.

"I already have my driving licence and do not have a new car to register but at least I can apply for the good conduct certificate."