Dubai Ports Police praised for securing emirate’s waters
DUBAI: Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, the Commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, recently praised the Dubai Ports Police Station for their vital role in maintaining the maritime security of Dubai, and for monitoring and controlling the coastal navigation movement across the emirate’s waters and conducting awareness campaigns for sea-goers and water bike users.
These remarks were made by Lt. Gen. Al Marri during an annual inspection of the Dubai Ports Police Station where he was accompanied by Pilot Major General Ahmed Mohammed Bin Thani, Assistant to the Commander-in-chief for Ports Affairs, and a number of Dubai Police senior officers and officials.
Lt. Gen. Al Marri reviewed the Station’s strategic indicators namely the security coverage provided across the area of jurisdiction indicator which reached 98.78% where the target was 86%. The duty officer’s presence to reporting sites indicator also reached 100%; meanwhile the average response time for emergency cases indicator was just four minutes when the target was 13 minutes.
Lt. Gen. Al Marri further reviewed the Station’s average response time for non-emergency cases which was at nine minutes while the target was 30 minutes, and the worrying ‘serious’ crime rate among sea-goers and dhows was 0.71% per 500,000 population.
Lt. Gen. Al Marri was also briefed on the statistics of the Maritime Rescue Section, which achieved an average response time to marine accidents within 6 miles of 4.45% while the target was 4.78%. Furthermore, the Section recorded 64 marine accidents last year compared to 72 in 2019, and it carried out 169 missions in 2020 compared to 428 in the year before.
The Commander-in-chief of Dubai Police also reviewed the Section’s rescue efforts which contributed to saving the lives of 23 people over the last year. These include saving the lives of seven sailors ater two of them fell in the open water when their ship was hit by high waves and became stranded at the maritime front of Deira island. The Section also secured an Arab motorist and salvaged her sinking car at Al Mamzar Creek ater she had failed to apply breaks and place the car on parking (P) mode. They also rescued a three-year-old boy ater his arm was stuck in the suction pipe of a swimming pool. The Section also rescued 20 people stuck on a bus in the Hata Valley ater the vehicle became stuck in the water following flash flooding in the mountainous area.
Lt. Gen. Al Marri was also briefed on the statistics and indicators of the Beach Security Section which issued 1,309 disciplinary violations in 2020 for disturbing sea-goers, riding wheels, skateboards, and bicycles on walking tracks.