The Ministry of Interior concluded a series of introductory workshops addressing the Community Police concept, at the Etihad Hall of the Fujaira Police General Headquarters. The workshops, organized by the the Institute of Community Police and Policing Sciences in Abu Dhabi City, in collaboration with the Community Police Department at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, kicked off last week and lasted for five days, with the participation of 300 recruits from the Police General Headquarters of in Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah. Colonel Hamid Khamis Al Yammahi, Director of Ports and Airports Security Department at the Fujairah Police General Headquarters, attended the workshop’s final day activities.
The list of speakers at the workshops included: Expert Tarique Ghaffur, a Community Police Consultant from England; Captain Raid Al Muhairi, Community Police Department at Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, and Dr. Qais Al Obaidi, Training and Development Consultant at the Institute of Community Policing and Police Sciences.
Captain Al Muhairi said: “The Community Police concept started in many countries by the end of the last century, and was implemented in Abu Dhabi in 2003. It aims to enhance mutual trust between police bodies and community members; to positively develop the relation between both sides and enforce partnership and mutual responsibility. Community police contributes in spreading the culture of security and social awareness, thus leading to a decrease in crime rates and prevention via proactive methods.”
Al Muhairi presented pictures and real-life models explaining community police applications and the methods it follows. He also presented examples on social problems that Community Police addressed with the help of partners from the various Community institutions and entities, both government and civil.
He stressed that the idea of Community Police is gaining more acceptance and cooperation from the public, who has witnessed its positive impact in solving the numerous problems by communicating with them in many occasions.
Expert Tarique Ghaffur briefed the participants on the concepts and importance of Community Police, focusing on the impacts of globalization and the role it plays in the growing security challenges.
“Adopting models, methods and techniques provided by Community Police provides any police body with sufficient information and knowledge regarding their communities, and provides them with the necessary tools to deal with the problems and dangers within these communities,” Ghafouri added.
Dr. Qais Al Obaidi, for his part, shed the light on the Community Police basics and training, pointing out that the UAE’s experience in training on Community Police concepts has been a distinguished experience and constitutes a model that can be emulated by many Arab countries.
“The Institute of Community Policing and Police Sciences is planning to organize courses and workshops for officers from different Arab countries to educate them on Community Police. The Institute is an entity dedicated to scientifically educate and develop human resources on modern police work methods, taking into account, the social properties of each community and presenting the best international experiences,” Al Obaidi added.
Moreover, Al Obaidi explained: “The Community Police concept is relatively new; the community security addresses the positive impact of police on communities and institutions. It is a concept that involves the expansion of security maintenance responsibility circles, and adopting proactive and precautionary actions to fight crimes as an alternative to procedures related to solving problems reactively.”
Finally, Dr. Al Obaidi discussed the future plans and programs to be implemented by t