The long arm of the law in Dubai

In an exclusive interview with MENA Infrastructure, Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazinah, Deputy General Commander of Dubai Police, reveals how the force is working to improve safety and security in the emirate.

“The police force is always looking to activate partnerships with different community organisations and various community members”
-Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazinah

Established in 1956 in Port Naif, the Dubai Police force has been serving the emirate for over half a century and in that time Dubai has changed immensely. "Dubai Police was founded as the first police system in Dubai because we needed a foundation of security," explains Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazinah, Deputy General Commander of Dubai Police. "The law maintained stability, safeguarded the rights, regulated transactions and spread security among the people of Dubai."

In 1968, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum issued the decree under which His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was appointed Chief of Police and General Security in Dubai. Since this time H.H. Sheikh Mohammed has set a mandate to concentrate on building and developing a modern and contemporary foundation in support of quality of life, economy, education, health, transport and sport.

"Over the past 53 years, tremendous achievements have been made by Dubai Police General Headquarters in its mission to maintain and support the security, stability and development of our homeland," explains Al Mazinah.

Challenges

"The rapid development of science and technology in the world has a positive and negative impact on communities," he continues. "Unfortunately, there are those who have endorsed the huge developments of science and knowledge to develop criminal methods. On the bright side, this helps us develop more sophisticated means of detection and prevent criminal activity. We not only stay up-to-date with these recent criminal techniques and methods, but we must also deal with them before they occur eliminating criminal activity through proactive processes and pre-emptive strikes."

Al Mazinah goes on to point out that security officers and policeman are responsible for maintaining the protection of society. "Dubai Police General Headquarters works hard and offers tremendous support, both financially and technically, to develop the capabilities and capacities of our criminal experts. We raise the performance level, professionally and technically for those who work in all fields of criminal science, traffic and administration, providing them with the basic skills to cope with on-going challenges, particularly the patterns and type of crimes that have become common in light of the rapid development of modern techniques."

Highlighting that security authorities around the world are dealing with the same challenges, Al Mazinah says that the Dubai Police work in accordance with the vision that security overcomes crime and they look to combat and reduce opportunities for criminals. As such, much time and effort has been given over to develop and upgrade the human resources team and provide them with the training to provide the best security and police practices internationally through an annual forum. Al Mazinah goes on to explain that Dubai Police have also established a department annexed to the General Administration of Criminal Investigation in Dubai and have sent a number of officers to attend educational and training programmes in research and investigation.

"We have managed to gain the confidence of all international security agencies who are keen to exchange experiences and information with Dubai Police," says Al Mazinah. "Some countries have even asked us to provide officers to share their expertise in the detection of the obscurities and mysteries surrounding the solving of global crimes, such as the robbery case in Wafi Shopping Centre, the murder of Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim and the murder of Sulim Yamadayev."

He added that the Dubai Police General Headquarters will establish the Modern Laboratory for Criminal Evidence and Criminology at Dubai Police HQ, the first of its kind in the world. It is due to include the Administration of Physical Remains and Effects, Administration of Criminal and Social Evidence, Administration of Forensic Specialist, Administration of Forensic Technology and Administration of Forensic Engineering. "Many tests will be carried out in the new laboratory, including hair and fibre tests, analysis of fingerprint and images, chromosome tests and test for weapons of mass destruction, as well as DNA tests," explains Al Mazinah.

Improving the city

The Dubai Police force have a lot on their plate: from strengthening security for construction projects to implementing new rules and regulations for safe living conditions for labourers and the huge traffic problems in the city. "Dubai Police and other bodies and authorities such as Dubai Municipality, the Roads and Transport Authority, the Civil Defence Department and the Ministry of Labour all work together. We work in accordance with the vision and message of the United Arab Emirates Government," explains Al Mazinah. "The police force is always looking to activate partnerships with different community organisations and various community members to provide a decent and dignified life for both UAE citizens and expatriate residents."

Safety for Dubai Metro

There is no doubt that the Dubai Police will play an important part in the safety of the Dubai Metro. A new police unit has been established to provide security along the line and almost 200 officers will patrol the 74 kilometres of track and 47 stations. Al Mazinah explains how he foresees the role shaping up: "I can't sing the praises enough of the signing of the memorandum between the Dubai Police and the Roads and Transport Authority for the security services of the Dubai Metro. In particular, the memorandum is in place to ensure the security of the metro stations under the responsibility of the Dubai Police. We have appointed specialist staff to carry out and discharge all the tasks of the Dubai Metro safety and security by attending training and courses on secure facilities methods."

Institute of Traffic

Dubai Police operate the Institute of Traffic to encourage something on the roads. The institute objectives include:

• Spread traffic awareness to the internal audience (police force members) and external audience (companies and individuals)
• Organise educational traffic-related courses, workshops and seminars
• Rehabilitation of reckless drivers known for committing dangerous violations
• Enrol the violating motorists (with high black points record) in specialised courses
• Conduct researchers on the best practices in traffic domain and implement selectively what is suitable to Dubai
• Equip the police force members with the required skills to handle traffic issues by empowering them with relevant knowledge and education
• Elevate the Institute of Traffic to academic levels and gain accreditation on an international altitude
• Produce periodicals and books suitable academically for publishing - spreading traffic awareness and knowledge across educational institutes, colleges and schools
• Revise the traffic-related laws and decrees and examine its effectiveness in seizing traffic violations