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The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is preparing to deploy aerial drones to monitor traffic congestion and enforce traffic laws across major roads, flyovers and the elevated expressway, as part of efforts to strengthen its AI-enabled traffic management system.
The drones will provide live aerial feeds to traffic control centres, helping authorities identify congestion and its causes and quickly direct ground personnel to affected areas.
According to DMP Traffic Division sources, training on drone operation, data transmission and maintenance has already begun for traffic officers. Pilot deployments are expected to begin by late September 2026.
The surveillance drones will be equipped with loudspeakers to issue voice warnings to motorists blocking lanes or obstructing traffic. The DMP also plans to integrate automated number plate recognition (ANPR) technology with thermal and optical cameras to support video-based traffic enforcement.
DMP Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Anisur Rahman said aerial traffic monitoring is widely used in developed transport systems but would introduce a modern approach to traffic management in Bangladesh.
The Traffic Division is currently conducting pilot assessments with specialised drones, he said, adding that sustained deployment would require robust internet-enabled cloud infrastructure capable of handling high volumes of data.
However, traffic violations detected by drones will not initially result in fully automated penalties. Command officers will review the recorded footage before issuing citations to minimise false detections and prevent motorists from being penalised unfairly.
Officers from the Tejgaon and Uttara traffic divisions have already received drone flight training, while other traffic zones are undergoing training in phases.
The initiative comes after the DMP introduced 15 automated AI-enabled traffic signals along the Shahbagh-Lake Road corridor.