Sharjah: With the aim of ensuring Sharjah is a zero crime city, Sharjah Police on Sunday launched a new ambitious ‘Crime Prevention Programme’ during a press conference held at Sharjah Police Headquarters.

The Sharjah Police have drawn up a three-year plan to expand its ties with local, regional and international research institutions to exchange expertise in the areas of diagnosing reasons for crime and delinquency and methods of preventing them.

Major General Humaid Mohammad Al Hadidi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, launched the initiative.

The conference was attended by Brigadier Abdullah Mubarak Al Dukhan, Deputy General Commander of Sharjah Police, Brigadier Mohammad Eid Al Madhloum, Director-General of Police Operations at Sharjah Police, Colonel Jihad Saeed Bin Sahoo, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Sharjah Police, Colonel Sultan Al Khayal, Director of Public Relations and Media Department at Sharjah Police, as well as a number of other senior police officials.

Al Hilal petroleum company, Shurooq, Sharjah Charity Association, Sharjah Cooperative society and Sharjah Free Zone are funding the crime prevention initiative.

Major General Al Hadidi said that the implementation of the programme comes as part of directives by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah,l who stressed the pivotal role of the police in detecting crimes before they occur and dealing with them.

He said the main aim of the programme is to ensure the safety of the society and the implementation of the programme will feature the participation of various government organisations to ensure its success while focusing on the social, economical and psychological aspects that are considered leading factors in crimes.

He said that the crime rate in Sharjah has decreased by 10.7 per cent in the first half of this year compared with the corresponding period last year.

“Our goal is to accomplish the profound vision of the programme that is to make Sharjah one of the safest cities in the world,” he added.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Bin Nasser, Director of the Police Research Centre at Sharjah Police, said the plan comes in light of the UAE vision 2021 to be the one of the safest countries in the world.

Major General Al Hadidi noted that it was found that many robberies and other crimes occurring in the summer were committed by students who had leisure time and did not get proper guidance from parents about spending their holidays usefully.

“The initiative will focus on highlighting the importance of providing right guidance to children as they represent the future of society. All segments of society hold the big responsibility of encouraging children and enhancing their capabilities so that they become productive members of society,” he noted.

Elaborating on the electronic scams in the emirate, he said that many people were subject to hackers robbing their e-mail accounts but they have organised various awareness campaigns urging internet users to keep their personal details private.

Major participants of the campaign include the Educational Zone, Sharjah University, Directorate of Suburbs and Villages, the Supreme Family Council, the Municipalities council, Sharjah Media Centre, the Medical District, the Social Affairs Directorate, the American University in Sharjah and Skyline University.