Dubai: The Dubai Police SOS service is now available on Thuraya XT phones, which work over the satellite.
Maj Gen Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Dubai Police Chief,. said at a press conference on Sunday that the new service will allow people who are in deserted areas or at sea, where there is no mobile phone signal, to call for help if they have a satellite phone.
“The SOS service was available to anyone who has a GSM signal from their smartphone and has the Dubai Police app, but there were instances where people needed help in areas where there was no signal. This new service will solve this problem,” he said.
Amal Ezz Al Deen, Director of Government Services at Al Thuraya, said that to avail of this service, Thuraya phone owners should programme “1199” as one of the four possible emergency numbers.
“This number links directly to the Dubai Police operations room, and sends the caller’s GPS coordinates, so they would be easy to locate,” she said.
When there is an emergency, the person need only click on the button on the right side of the screen for two seconds and the signal is sent to Dubai Police.
Maj Gen Al Mazeina said that the SOS system has been a success on smartphones and the devices that were fitted in people’s homes.
Last weekend, a family of three – a man, his wife and their young child — were stranded in a desert area in Dubai, when their car got stuck in the sand and they were saved thanks to the SOS service.
The man called 999 from his phone asking for help but could not explain his exact location, so the officer told him to download the app as he had mobile internet.
The man then used the app, which sent his exact location, and within minutes a helicopter reached them and took the mother and child away. Soon after a land patrol reached the man to get his car out of the sand.
Currently there are 531,194 downloads of the Dubai Police app, which automatically gives the user access to the SOS service.
He added that there are also 91 SOS devices fitted in homes for people with heart disease, special needs or the elderly who might need instant help.
People should only call 999 or use the SOS service in emergencies, and 901 for any other enquiries or non-emergency situations.
