Watch: Dubai Police move out of landmark building in Jumeirah after 55 years

Dubai: Dubai Police have bid farewell to a landmark building in Jumeirah after an association of 55 years.

Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, attended a farewell for the General Department of Protective Security and Emergency building located in Jumeirah, paying rich tributes to a 55-year-old history.

A photo exhibition showcasing the history of the General Department of Security for Organisations, Facilities and Emergencies was also held at the building into which the department first moved in 1969.

The ceremony included a military parade and several other activities.

The Emergency Management Department of Dubai Police was established in 1968 in the historic Al Fahidi area of Bur Dubai, under the name “Mobile Force”.

Modest beginnings

The beginning was modest, with only two categories of personnel, but from this small nucleus, the foundations were laid for one of the most important security departments in Dubai Police.

Under the guidance and supervision of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who took on the role of Chief of Police and Public Security in Dubai in 1968, the administration received a boost and moved to the Jumeirah headquarters in 1969. During that period, it ran the Police School, which was responsible for training new recruits.

The late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, accompanied by Sheikh Mohammed visited the school. Five batches of officers and personnel passed out from this premises, up until the opening of the Dubai Police College in 1987.

In 1999, a strategic step was taken by merging two main departments of Dubai Police, the Facilities Security Department and the Emergency Department, with the aim of unifying security efforts and accelerating decision-making. This step was not just an administrative change but the beginning of a new era of providing comprehensive security services under one umbrella, leading to the establishment of the General Department of Security of Bodies, Establishments and Emergencies.

Significant expansion

During the following years, the General Administration witnessed a significant expansion with the adoption of a new structure in 2006, which included the incorporation of the Shooting School and Patrol Training Departments. In 2009, the administration underwent further changes by transferring the Training Curriculum Department to the General Administration of Human Resources, and in 2012, the shooting school was moved to the Dubai Police Academy.

In 2013, the late Lieutenant General Khamis Matar Al Mazeina was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, and the General Department of Security for Organisations, Facilities and Emergencies developed further with necessary human resources, administrative systems, technical and professional levels and field professional equipment to keep pace with the times.

New departments added

With Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri taking over as the Chief of Dubai Police on March 1, 2017, the General Department of Security of Bodies, Establishments and Emergencies, many structural updates were made, new departments added and renamed.

The Quality Assurance Office was abolished in 2018, and by the end of the same year, the K9 Security Inspection and Force Facilities Security Departments were added. Lieutenant General Al Marri implemented comprehensive changes in the General Department of Security for Organisations, Facilities and Emergencies, which elevated the level of its operational system. It now consists of eight sub-departments, each tasked with vital responsibilities to maintain the security and safety of Dubai, from securing and escorting important visiting dignitaries to protecting organisations and facilities, handling potential riots, combating any terrorist acts, and dealing with explosives.

The General Administration has played an important role in advanced training in police operations, securing events and exhibitions, providing guard services, K9 operations and search operations, in addition to crime detection and assisting in judicial control.