Police still hunt speed camera shooter

Police continue to investigate the shootings of three speed cameras in Umm Al Qaiwain.

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UMM AL QAIWAIN // Police were still searching yesterday for a driver they said shot three speed radars on Al Ittihad Road.

Investigators have taken the radars - the first three on the road from Ras Al Khaimah - to the police forensic laboratory.

"They will be returned or replaced very soon," said Col Saeed Obaid, director general of the UAQ Police Traffic Department.

Col Saeed said the shooting was the first such incident in the emirate. He said the offender acted out of ignorance.

"He should know that these radars are for traffic safety. They help drivers to slow down, not endanger other road users' lives, as well as save their own lives.

"Those who continue with the bad habit of speeding are fined, and the next time they will think twice before speeding," he said.

Police said on Monday the driver responsible for the shooting had been caught by the radar camera and was trying to avoid paying fines.

UAQ has stepped up road safety campaigns and installed radars to reduce fatal accidents on the roads. The emirate has 37 radars, including four mobile units.

"Unlike other emirates, where the roads are congested, in UAQ the roads are always free and people are always driving too fast," said Asadullah Ismael, an Egyptian resident. "Things have changed since the introduction of radars."