A YORK firm is set to make light work of tackling crime for the Arabs.

Vision Alert, of Outgang Lane, Osbaldwick, has just won a £50,000 order to supply lightbars to a police force in the United Arab Emirates.

And it has attracted praise from the York and North Yorkshire Export Forum.

The company, which manufactures the lightbars which straddle the roofs of police cars as well as beacons for emergency and highways maintenance vehicles, has been contracted to provide 69 of its new 600-series Evolution Lightbars for use in the desert.

Vision Alert, which also makes beacons for use on emergency and road maintenance vehicles, pioneered the use of "free form optical technology" which increases the light output by 20 per cent, in lightbars. Previously it had been used only in car headlights. Steve Cummings is managing director of the company which was launched seven years ago and now exports throughout the world, with 54 per cent of sales to the domestic market (including the AA), 24 per cent to Europe and 22 per cent to the rest of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Mexico, Chile, the US and Canada.

He said: "The Evolution lightbar is proving extremely successful and this is our second order from the United Arab Emirates."

Roland Harris, who is spokesman for the York and North Yorkshire Export Forum as well as being chief executive of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "As a medium-sized business which is still relatively young, Vision Alert is certainly lighting the way in this export market."