Qatar set to have new highway patrol force

A new highway patrol police force that will augment the efforts of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) in improving road safety will start work in 2014, it was announced at the graduation of the first batch of the force.

Consisting of 50 officers and cadets, the graduation ceremony of the first batch was held at the headquarters of the Traffic Department. The training programme was implemented by the Northwestern University, Chicago.

The team has received specialised training in enforcing traffic laws and booking common violations like  tailgating, use of mobile phones, exceeding speed limits and not wearing seat belts.

The officers also acquired advanced skills in  investigation of accidents, modern methods to interrogate drivers, preservation of evidence and making specialised reports on accidents.

According to Traffic Department officials, the new force will use both radar and lidar, a device used to monitor speed using laser.

The officers were also trained on skills needed to manually control traffic flow and its mechanisms in addition to the use of tools and methods for data collection.

The initiative was organised in collaboration between the Ministry of Interior  and RasGas in the context of the priority given by the MoI and the National Committee for Traffic Safety (NCTS) to  ensure responsible and safe driving.

The graduation ceremony was attended by Traffic Department director Brig Mohamed Saad al-Kharji, NCTS secretary Brig Mohamed Abdullah al-Maliki, traffic safety adviser at MoI Ademola Ilori and  Brett Doherty, safety, health, environment & quality chief officer, RasGas.

Speaking on the occasion, al-Kharji said that the new force would support the MoI’s efforts in road safety. 

“The new force will monitor and enforce road safety measures on highways. It includes monitoring speed limit, keeping space between vehicles and handling accidents and emergency situations.” 

He added that the trainees got theoretical and practical lessons on controlling traffic movement on highways, safe parking and stopping of vehicles on highways as well as training on dealing with the public.

Speaking on the sidelines,  al-Kharji said that there was a plan to equip traffic police vehicles with speed radars so they could catch violators while on the move.

He thanked RasGas for its collaboration with the MoI in this initiative and said the  move would play a proactive role in reducing traffic accidents. 

Al-Maliki said that the initiative came as part of NCTS and thanked RasGas and Northwestern University for their support for the initiative.

He awarded trainees with certificates and exchanged mementos with RasGas and Northwestern University. Gifts and appreciation certificates were awarded for lecturers and translators.

Others present on the occasion were RasGas public affairs manager  Abdulla Hashim, Security & Emergency services manager Faisal al-Hajiri, road safety adviser John Cling, safety systems head Jive Price, road safety training head at Northwestern University,  Antony Patila.