Dubai: Emirati women were the first in the Gulf region to join the police force blazing a trail in this part of the world, a top woman officer said.
The first batch of 18 women personnel joined the police force in 1967 and undertook rigorous training for four months at the training facility in Jumeirah, First Lieutenant Noura Mohammad Hassan, Head of Women's Affairs at the General Department of Human Resources at Dubai Police, said.
Currently, 1,235 military-ranked women personnel are part of Dubai Police.
The officers were then taught about laws, regulations and underwent military training, said First Lieutenant Noura.
"We aim for women officers to reach the rank of a major general as the current highest ranking reached by a police officer in Dubai Police is lieutenant colonel," she said.
Lieutenant Colonel Fawzya Mahmoud Al Mulla, Director of Women's prison at Dubai Police's General Department of Punitive and Correctional Establishments, currently holds the highest ranking position at Dubai Police.
At present, Dubai Police have 1,863 women personnel with 49 female officers among the 1,235 military-ranked women. The rest of the women work in a civilian capacity.
Growth
There were 25 women in the police academy in 1979. In 1996, the 12th batch saw 54 women graduating from the police academy.
"Emirati women were the first in the Gulf region to join a police force and second in the region to join a police institute specialised in training women officers after Bahrain," said First Lt Noura.
According to her, women have proven their role and capability to be equal with men in the police force, thanks to the wise leadership of this country and continuous support from the chief of Dubai Police.
