He may be the seventh son of His Highness Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, but Colonel Sheikh Talib bin Saqr Al Qasimi rejects the honour title "His Highness", preferring to be addressed directly by his name.
Sheikh Talib, Chief of the Ras Al Khaimah Police, said that he and his 14 brothers and sisters had never been recognised as princes and princesses even in their neighbourhood.
"If a man loves people, they will love him back. Being a prince does not force them to love him. It forces them to respect and to fear him," he said.
What makes a sheikh is his manners, way of dealing with others, his beliefs, principles and attitudes. Man's relationship to God, he said, was another factor governing the love and respect of people in this part of the world.
"Our wise father has never differentiated between his sons and daughters and the nationals of the emirate. He considers them all his sons and daughters," he added.
Graduating from Sandhurst in England in 1981, Sheikh Talib joined the UAE Armed Forces. He served for 14 years until he was needed as a police officer. In 1995, Sheikh Saqr issued an Emiri Decree appointing him chief of police.
Sheikh Talib said the responsibilities of a policeman in the UAE were enormous. He said that his aim was to seek to provide every national and resident with the ultimate in safety and security.
"I will continue exerting every possible effort to do so by recruiting well-educated members to the force and bringing to the department all the necessary financial assistance," he said.
He said the duties of a member of the armed forces are totally different from those of the police. But when he was transferred to the police his colleagues gave him a big helping hand.
The armed forces ensure national security. The police, on the other hand, are responsible for maintaining internal security.
He added that the Ras Al Khaimah Police had greatly improved. If people wanted to live in peace and security, then they should adhere to religion and tradition.
He warned ill-intentioned people that the police were alert.
He said he never became emotionally involved in a case, but some cases required an effort at conciliation, and he then intervened personally.
In a tribal-oriented society like that of Ras Al Khaimah, he said, many cases had to be handled with extreme discretion. Cases involving women were handled in great confidentiality. "Such cases usually require the ultimate in care and attention, otherwise furious disputes could break out."
Sheikh Talib, the father of four children, said that the young people of the UAE were among the best in the world, and the people in charge should thank God for His grace and favour.
But, he said, children need guidance, and this was the shared responsibility of the family, the school and the police.
He said he chaired many associations concerned with youth in Ras Al Khaimah and had started a number of gymnasiums for them, so that they could use their free time constructively.
"I am there also to monitor the performance of the police officers," he said, adding that he would not hesitate to punish those who made mistakes, or used their authority wrongly.
"My door is always open for anyone to complain against any police officer - including myself. And those who err in the use of their authority will be punished in the presence of the person who has made the complaint."
He added that he was aware that there were some tough police officers. "But in the Ras Al Khaimah Police there is no place for the humiliation of the people in any circumstances."
He said that the best way to ensure that justice was done was to do everything by the book. Formal, legal procedures should, he said, be carried out.
"All investigations are monitored carefully," he said. "Once it is thought that an investigating officer has applied the regulations wrongly, he will be replaced immediately and questioned by his senior officers."
He said the responsibility of seeing justice done in a large society was so great that the help of the public was most important.
"People should realise that the police department is there to help and serve the people, but, in the absence of that help, the police will never be able to fulfil their role in society completely."
He urged everybody to overcome their fear of the police and deal with them directly. Anyone living by the law, he said, have nothing to fear.