Dubai: Dubai Police recently came to the rescue of an Emirati man in trouble through a mobile application that allows people to contact emergency services at the touch of a button.
Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, said the new smartphone application called SOS (Save Our Souls) sends a distress signal to the Dubai Police command-and-control centre in case of an emergency.
This service came to the aid of an Emirati man who was travelling in Kazan, Russia and required urgent help. The man underwent an emergency surgery in the city and required help from the embassy there but he was not able to get in touch with them.
The man needed almost Dh100,000 to pay for the unexpected surgery but he could not afford to do so himself.
So he contacted the SOS centre who in turn contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry reported the matter to the UAE Embassy who were then able to help the stranded man.
Lt Gen Dahi said the SOS service developed by Dubai Police has been thoroughly tested and will soon be rolled out for public use.
The app, currently available only for Android phones, allows people in trouble or facing danger to directly make contact with the command-and-control room.
At the moment this app can only be used by senior officials and people with special needs.
He added that the application can also be used along with house alarms.
“If you press the app button you will received a call from the command centre in less than two minutes. The centre will call you back in cases of an emergency even if you are abroad; if you are in the country they will also arrive at the scene,” said Lt Gen Dahi.
Lt Gen Dahi said the app informs police of the person’s details and location through GPS tracking, eliminating the need for voice interaction.
“It works for people out at sea and in the desert as well,” he said.
