Abu Dhabi Police unveil ambitious proposal to cut crime

Abu Dhabi Police unveil ambitious proposal to cut crime
By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: April 23, 2008, 00:17

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Police is aiming to cut the crime rate in the city by five per cent over the next five years.

Plans and a course of action have also been laid out to cut by 20 per cent road accidents causing serious or fatal injuries. The ambitious plans were unveiled as part of the police's five-year strategy for 2008 to 2012.

"Our strategy is focused on the control of crime by prevention, control of its rates and eradication of its impact, to maintain general safety and security, make the roads safer and establish mutual trust between the public and police force as well as ensuring optimised use of human resources by adopting the best international practices without ignoring the provision of all operational support to the police operations", said Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Interior.

He was addressing the media and officials in video footage presented at the unveiling ceremony held at the Police Officers Club on Tuesday morning.

Named the Abu Dhabi Police Strategic Plan 2008 to 2012 new progressive development plans have been put forth under the theme Progressive Police for a Modern City.

The plan identifies six priorities which have five year targets to achieve. Concrete courses of actions have been mapped, alongside stages of execution, by police officers with the cooperation of international experts.

"We are looking forward to achieving our priorities with extreme determination and faith in a close partnership with all parties and strategic partners. Through this we are endeavouring to satisfy the needs of all community segments be they Emirati, residents, visitors, service or security agencies, in full integration with Abu Dhabi government's strategy and political agenda and in harmony with the general strategy of the UAE Federal government," the minister said.

The strategy establishes the vision, mission and values of the police department, apart from the strategic steps they will be implementing towards achieving the objective of becoming "the most operationally effective police force in one of the safest countries in the world."

Announcing the plan, Brigadier Nasser Al Nuaimi, Director-General of the office of the Minister of Interior, said it focuses on modernising the department and improving its function and role in society to be on a par with the best police services in the world.

"The continuous process of modernisation and developing of Abu Dhabi Police, motivated by the wisdom and insight of the leadership of the UAE, is aimed at transforming the capital into an important economical regional power. The role of the police has been of great significance during the past decades in promoting this ambition," Al Nuaimi said.

Faisal Sultan Al Shuaibi, Head of the Strategy department at Abu Dhabi Police, said: "We have kept the crime rate and traffic statistics of 2007 as a baseline. Our focus will be to achieve the targets we have set."

Although the UAE and Abu Dhabi are considered to be safe, Al Shuaibi said the need is to anticipate new threats which may raise their heads as the city is growing by the day.

"Our priority is also to keep track of high profile crimes and curb them. Reaching out to all communities within our society is another important aspect."

Surveys conducted by the police showed very high satisfaction levels amongst the public of up to 90 per cent.

Blueprint: Important areas

* Controlling crime
* Making the most of staff through the implementation of the best international practices, qualified staff will be recruited and the focus will be on increasing efficiency
* Increasing community confidence
* Maintaining the security of Abu Dhabi
* Making the roads safer. Various structural bodies and an action plan for casualty reduction will be developed
* Providing all policing operations with functional support
* Financial and administrative powers will be delegated to speed up decisions. To ensure technical efficiency of the plan, it will be assessed from time to time.

Stages

1957-1966 - Foundation stage
1966-1979 - Building stage
1979-1995- Progress stage with the merging of Abu Dhabi Police with the interior ministry
1995-2007-Qualitative and strategic development with Lt. Gen Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan taking over as General Commander of Abu Dhabi Police