UNSHAKEN, NOT DETERRED … MEET DUBAI POLICE’S OWN ‘JAMES BOND’
▶ Salam Al Amir talks to real-life hero Lt Col Ali Al Naqbi, head of the force’s maritime rescue unit
From daring helicopter leaps to life-saving sea rescues, the James Bond of Dubai Police is a real-life action hero with the scars to prove it.
Lt Col Ali Al Naqbi, head of the force’s maritime rescue department, earned the nickname because he is always ready to do his duty and throw himself into harm’s way, even when on holiday.
The father of five joined the force as a corporal in 1991. He inherited a love of the sea and nature from his parents, who brought him up in Dibba in Sharjah, surrounded by mountains and water.
It is a passion that comes with a healthy respect for the power of the natural elements, gained from many years of carrying out dangerous missions.
Lt Col Al Naqbi, has instilled into his own children – aged between one and 25 – the importance of dedicating one’s life to helping others.
“It’s hard to describe my feeling that moment when I carry a person to safety and know that they will be fine,” he says.
“I try to be a role model for my children and teach them that giving and dedicating one’s life to saving and helping others is the biggest source of satisfaction.”
Lt Col Al Naqbi recalls jumping from a helicopter then leaping across a chasm to reach a crashed jet plane.
“It crashed on the top of the mountain then fell into the valley. It was very hard to reach. I jumped from one mountain to another and nearly fell before I got there safely.”
Other hair-raising missions included following a helicopter that plunged into the sea in Abu Dhabi and helping people trapped by floods that hit Fujairah in 1998.
One rescue that left an indelible mark took place when he was not on duty. A man was drowning in the sea at Al Mamzar.
“I happened to be near the place by coincidence,” Lt Col Al Naqbi says. “There was no time for hesitation. I informed the operations room then jumped in the water without rubber fins. It was dark and the wind was very strong.
“The challenge was not the bad weather conditions but the fact that when I reached the man – he was heavy, wearing a kandura and was mentally challenged – communicating with him was impossible.”
Lt Col Al Naqbi placed the man on his back until a rescue boat arrived and took them ashore.
“Huge crowds welcomed us by clapping hands and giving us the thumps up,” he says.
Lt Col Al Naqbi says much has changed in his line of work during his years of service with Dubai Police.
“It was very different when I started. The tools and equipment were modest,” he says.
The force had far fewer rescuers and they had more incidents to deal with.
Lt Col Al Naqbi admits his job has caused his family plenty of anxious moments over the years. His mother often offers prayers for his safety and his wife was terrified when first told of his occupation.
“But they are supportive and they value what I do, because they know how rewarding it is to save a person’s life,” he says.
His job can take him out of the UAE, to assist in disaster-hit countries.
“I have been sent as part of a fully equipped team to several countries hit by floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters,” Lt Col Al Naqbi says. “It is not a strange thing for a country that takes saving lives as one of its major priorities.
It comes as no surprise that
It’s hard to describe my feeling that moment when I carry a person to safety and know that they will be fine LT COL ALI AL NAQBI Dubai Police
he picked up nicknames such as “Agent 007” and “Jackie Chan”.
“I saved a three-year-old girl from drowning when on holiday in Syria years back, because once a rescuer, always a rescuer,” Lt Col Al Naqbi says.