Abu Dhabi to upgrade its surveillance system: report

DUBAI — Abu Dhabi has signed a nine million dollar deal to upgrade its system of surveillance cameras after video footage helped Dubai shed light on the murder of a Hamas leader, The National paper said Wednesday.Under the agreement, US company ICx Technologies will install a network of surveillance towers around Abu Dhabi, the government-owned daily quoted Ishaq al-Beshir, director of operations for the Critical National Infrastructure Authority, as saying.The towers "will be equipped with radar-enabled cameras linked to a central communications system," the newspaper said.Installation of the new cameras will begin in April and take eight months, it added.Beshir also announced that the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates will install thermal imaging cameras along the coast. These cameras can track ships up to 15 kilometres (nine miles) offshore, and will "detect a threat before it could enter the target area," The National said.The deal for the coastal cameras, which will cost 1.2 million dollars, was made with Abu Dhabi-based International Golden Group, the newspaper said.Mahmud al-Mabhuh, one of the founders of the military wing of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, was found dead in his Dubai hotel room on January 20.Dubai's extensive system of surveillance cameras allowed its police force to identify 27 suspects in the murder.Because of the emirate's 10,000 surveillance cameras, "We have 648 hours of video of the 27 suspects," Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat quoted the Dubai police chief, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan, as saying on Wednesday.Khalfan mocked Israeli intelligence service Mossad, which he has accused of being behind Mabhuh's killing."If Mossad wants to learn how to dress, we can send them a Dubai police trainer to teach them the best techniques for disguise," Asharq Al-Awsat quoted him as saying. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

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