Dubai Police is a global security school and the main pillar of the emirate’s development and economic renaissance

Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chief of Police and Public Security in Dubai, confirmed that the journey of the Dubai Police over seventy years was not the journey of a traditional security institution, but rather a book written by Dubai with the ink of determination and forward-looking vision since 1956, stressing that the advanced security system of the police was the basic pillar on which the comprehensive development and economic renaissance of the emirate was based, considering security the true incubator of investment and the protective shield for humans.

This came in his speech on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Dubai Police, in which he reviewed the institution’s historical milestones, and the technical and criminal transformations that made it a model to be emulated globally.

The following is the text of Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim’s speech on the 70th anniversary of the founding of Dubai Police:

“When we remember today the seventy years since the establishment of Dubai Police, we are not talking about a traditional security institution, but rather we are reading a book that Dubai wrote with the ink of determination and forward-looking vision since 1956.

For seventy years, Dubai Police was the main pillar on which the development and economic renaissance of this dear emirate was based. Security is the incubating environment for investment and the protective shield for humans. Without a confident and advanced security system, cities would not have made history as Dubai did.

Anyone who contemplates the career of the Dubai Police realizes that excellence was not the result of coincidence, but rather came as a result of significant historical milestones, the first of which was its launch in 1956. Its career began with flexible foundations and a limited number of men at the Naif Center, but the vision was greater than the capabilities available at the time, and the goal from day one was to impose the rule of law and build bridges of trust with the emerging Dubai community.

I had the great honor of assuming the leadership of this ancient institution when I was appointed as its Commander-in-Chief in the year 1980, until the year 2013, and then I had the honor of being appointed Deputy Chief of Police and Public Security in Dubai. I did not leave this edifice for more than 56 years. Since I joined the Dubai Police in the year 1970, I kept in mind the directives of the wise leadership to transform from a “local police agency” into a “global security school.” We were not waiting for the future, but rather We were making it through sustainable scientific planning, so we established the Planning and Human Resources Department, and established the Dubai Police Academy, to be a factory for men and leaders armed with science, legal and security knowledge.

During the decades I spent in leadership, I believed that crime was evolving, and if the police did not take steps ahead of crime, it would lose the initiative. Therefore, we went through complex paths to modernize the technological infrastructure, and Dubai Police was a pioneer in many fields at the level of the region and the world.

We introduced the electronic traffic system very early in 1986, and we developed the police operations room to become the backbone of command and control. We used the satellite patrol monitoring system to ensure the fastest response rates globally. We were not satisfied with traditional methods of investigation, but rather established the criminal laboratory and the forensic medicine department, and we were among the first security agencies in the region to introduce the genetic fingerprint system (DNA), making scientific evidence the decisive factor in achieving justice.

The development was not purely security, but included the creation of land, sea, and air rescue teams to deal with all emergencies, and the establishment of a security department for agencies and facilities. We were even the first to establish a specialized department for human rights, out of our belief that human dignity is the goal of police work.

The true competence of any security apparatus is clearly evident in crises and when dealing with organized and complex crimes. Dubai Police has faced criminal challenges that have attracted the attention of international public opinion, but they are professional.

The real achievement that we are proud of in Dubai Police is not in the podiums, nor in the amount of pioneering awards that we have won – such as our winning the Best Department Award for Distinguished Government Performance in 1998 as the first department to receive this honor – but rather the greatest achievement is building a wall of absolute trust between the police and society, and instilling reassurance in the souls of everyone who sets foot on the land of Dubai, whether citizens, residents and visitors.

I always stress that the success achieved by Dubai Police during its seventy years of operation was not the result of individual efforts, but rather it was an epic crafted by thousands of male and female officers, male and female, who continued day and night, loyal to the nation and the leadership.

Today, as I look at the Dubai Police with its current leadership and young cadres, I see a proactive, digital security institution that possesses artificial intelligence, cumulative experience, and human competencies that qualify it not only to maintain its lead, but to lead global security innovation over the coming decades, so that Dubai remains an oasis of security and safety from which the sun never sets.

Congratulations to Dubai Police and all its employees, from the top of the pyramid to the smallest individual, on this blessed journey, and to further progress and prosperity, God willing.”