Dubai: Dubai Police has deployed a squad of undercover officers across the public transport network to ensure security, a top official told XPRESS.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Middle East and North Africa Transport Congress on April 29, Col. Mohammad Ahmad Al Bastaki, Director of Transport Security, Dubai Police, said the recently introduced undercover officers have helped to reduce the already low crime rate on the Metro, buses and other public transport.
“We started deploying undercover officers around six months back and they are doing a great job. They use the public transport just like normal people but have been trained to spot and effectively deal with any eventuality. They have helped to considerably bring down petty crimes like pick-pocketing, misbehaviour and brawls,” he said.
Referring to the first and only major incident on the Metro when an Indian man committed suicide on the track in December 2012, Col. Al Bastaki said a thorough investigation was conducted and security has been beefed up since, with CCTV cameras installed at various points, including emergency exits.
He said the Dubai Police Trans-portation Security Department is the only security force dedicated to public transport security in the region. Unlike general security forces, the department’s officers know public transport operations inside out, how various modes function, layouts of the stations and depots and so on.
“We have around 1,500 officers, both male and female, of whom over 1,000 are in the field working day and night to keep the public safe and secure,” said the official.
Besides undercover operations, Transportation Security Department officers perform a number of other functions.
“Everyday, our K9 officers conduct thorough checks before the start of the Metro or other operations. We have officers specially trained to look out for explosives or other dangerous substances. Our operation room works 24 hours, monitoring public transport, receiving complaints on 800 Metro (63876) and acting on them.”
He said the department’s biggest challenge is to ensure that Dubai’s public transport is the safest in the world in keeping with the vision of the Rulers.
“We are constantly upgrading our skills and devising new strategies to deal with any contingency, whether it is a natural disaster or planned incident. So it’s not a copy-paste of best practices from around the world, we have to see what more we need to do to address our specific needs.”
