Riyadh governor lays foundation for 911 Unified Security Operations Center
Facility to integrate all government emergency centers
RIYADH: Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar on Sunday laid the foundation for the headquarters of the 911 Unified Security Operations Center in Riyadh.
The center will consolidate emergency call- taking services into one physical location by utilizing a single emergency number for multiple agencies at a provincial level. The target operating model also included consolidating field-dispatch at the agency level while deploying a crisis management and joint operations capability.
The project includes processes, data, systems, information and communications technology (ICT) and training resulting in the unification of operational rooms through a single emergency number, 911. This includes the agencies of police patrol, traffic, and the Road Security Special Forces along with the Civil Defense.
Prince Faisal said the new headquarters is an initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, who wants to integrate all government emergency cen- ters into one with a view to providing the best and prompt services to callers.
The governor also took the opportunity to thank security officials who work for the security of the nation.
The event was also attended by Prince Saud Al-Hilal, undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Security Development and Planning, Brig. Fahad bin Ibrahim Al-Zerha, and Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Rabiah, the director of the 911 project.
The unified security operations project will cover 911 administrative areas in the Kingdom, providing high-tech communications, data transfer and the use of modern systems such as geographic information systems, command systems, incident management, as well as the project’s rehabilitation of people and the latest scientific methods in crisis and emergency management.
One of the priorities of the unified security operations centers is to support the security sectors to achieve high rates of response speed to various inci- dents by providing the unified emergency number. The reports will be received and transmitted as quickly as required to all relevant authorities. The standard allows field commanders in each security sector to communicate directly with their field teams and give guidance and manage their operations using the latest technology.
Maj. Gen. Abdurrahman Al-Saleh, chief of the National Center for Security Operations (NCSO) at the Ministry of Interior, said the center now includes all the relevant security agencies for emergencies, such as security patrols, traffic, road safety, and the civil defense.
He stressed that it facilitates the coordination among parties and agencies duplication or conflict of jurisdiction.
Al-Saleh said that the new program now includes major partners such as the Saudi Red Crescent Society, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Water, Environment and Agriculture, and the Ministry of Transport, along with many other bodies such as government secretariats.
He also stated that the hightech security surveillance cameras in the project also linked to cameras in different areas in the Kingdom.
Al-Rabiah, director of the project, said the new complex is to be built on an area of 90,000 square meters north of Riyadh.