Abu Dhabi Police have plans to tackle any crisis, emergencies

Brigadier Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, director of Central Operations, Abu Dhabi Police, while delivering the keynote speech on behalf of Major-General Staff Pilot Fares Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Commander-in-Chief, Abu Dhabi Police, noted the law enforcement agency strived to predict risks and remain prepared to deal with different emergencies with advanced levels of training.

"Business continuity and providing services and quick response to crisis in an efficient and effective manner is very important in cases of emergencies and disasters. To realise this, we provide best training to our unit by utilising the state-of-the-art techniques in order to handle and tackle the situation as per requirements. Our training ensures highest-level of preparedness. Such efforts led the Abu Dhabi Police towards attaining the International Organisation of Standardisation certification," he noted.

Colonel Ahmed Al Kendi, head of Crisis and Disaster Management Department, Abu Dhabi Police, told Khaleej Times that when faced with situations like flood, earthquake, other natural calamities, disruptions etc, police force will coordinate with 'partners' to tackle the situation.

"Just imagine if the city faces an IT breakdown and there is a disruption in communication. We have a plan with Etisalat to tackle this situation," he said and noted Abu Dhabi Police teamed up with various entities to deal with different levels of crisis and emergencies.

"Our aim is to ensure that vital operations are restored as soon as possible. When faced with crisis, residents call 999. So people rely and trust us. It's our duty to see that all emergency services can be given to public. This we do in coordination and cooperation with our partners," he said.

Al Kendi said the Abu Dhabi Police constantly upgrades skills to match international standards.

"We have continuous training. We ensure readiness of our partners in private and public sectors. We have coordination, communication and cooperation plans depending on specified risks. We prepare emergency plans according to risks."

He also noted the need to exchange experiences with developed countries.

Dr Said Al Dhaheri, director, Safety and Prevention Department, National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, said the departments in the UAE were constantly working to elevate standards in terms of preparedness and integration. "The region has witnessed lots of turmoil politically, economically and militarily. The UAE has provided its services to all parts of the world. Business continuity is considered as one of the most important priorities of the UAE because of the ongoing geo-political conditions."