By Mutaher Hussain

DHAKA, July 14, 2026 (BSS) - Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) plans to roll out low-cost "plug-and-play" cameras alongside its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered traffic surveillance system to widen monitoring coverage and improve enforcement of traffic laws across the capital.

Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Md Anisur Rahman told BSS that while the AI cameras currently in use have proved effective, their high cost limits wider deployment.

"We need to expand coverage quickly to enforce traffic laws more effectively. The new plug-and-play cameras are much cheaper and can help us achieve that," he said.

The move comes about two months after DMP introduced AI-based cameras to detect traffic violations automatically. 

Anisur Rahman said the new system would allow police to monitor more roads at a lower cost and strengthen traffic discipline. He also welcomed growing public cooperation with the AI surveillance system.

"People are increasingly following traffic signals and traffic rules voluntarily. We did not expect such a positive response so soon," he said.

Anisur Rahman said Dhaka's chronic congestion is driven by a combination of factors, including mixed traffic, the rapid rise in the number of vehicles, unregulated auto-rickshaws, unfit vehicles and the absence of a modern public transport network.

He also blamed unsafe pedestrian behaviour, saying many people continue to cross roads outside designated crossings even when traffic signals are operating.

DMP currently deploys officers according to traffic patterns, with around 25 major intersections requiring round-the-clock management. 

Rahman said technology would play an increasingly important role, arguing that manual traffic control alone could no longer meet the demands of a growing city.