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Security show opens today

DUBAI — The 8th edition of Intersec, the exhibition and conference for commercial security, police, fire, safety and health, starts at the World Trade Centre today.

The event is billed as the biggest of its kind in the Middle East. A Press conference was organised yesterday at the Dubai Police Officers Club to announce the activities of the event to take place under the patronage of Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police.

The Press conference was addressed by Dr Jamal Mohamed Al Mari, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police; Major Rashed Khalaf Abu lfalh, Head of the office of Director-General of Civil Defence; Bill Tillbrook, Chief Superintendent, Head of Clubs and Department, Metropolitan Police; and David Scott, Head of Specialist Operations Group from the London Fire Brigade.

Featuring over 450 exhibitors from 40 countries, the 8th edition of Intersec has recorded a 40 per cent increase in participation in just one year. The national pavilions have contributed enormously to this growth, presenting the largest groups ever seen in the Gulf including 24 companies from the US, 75 from the UK and 55 from Germany. The UAE is also well represented with 100 companies. Other participating countries include South Africa, Korea, China, Italy, France and Brazil.

Dr Al Mari said that UAE government departments continue to support Intersec, and Ministry of Interior, Dubai Civil Defence and Dubai Police are taking part in the exhibition. Their continued support is a reflection of their belief that with the growth in development and tourism, greater emphasis on security and public safety is imperative across the Gulf region.

He said that the exhibition will allow exchange of information and the concerned authorities will benefit from the latest safety and security equipment.

Commenting on behalf of Dubai Civil Defence, CoI Rashid Thani Al Matroushi said: "We support all exhibitions that benefit society and companies within the fire and rescue sector. We look forward to more of this kind of exhibition in Dubai, by offering our support through our available resources".

He said following the success of Intersec's International Police, Fire and Safety Conference in 2005, the conference programme for Intersec this year remains a major part of the show. The conference covers three specialist areas — police, fire and safety — with 40 of the world's most renowned experts speaking.

Today, the Middle East Police Exhibition & Conference (Mepec) will be addressed by Lt-Gen. Tamim.

Speaking on the occasion, Bill Tillbrook said that he will be discussing 'People Trafficking and Organised Vice Crime'.

Other speakers at Mepec include Thomas A Tass, Dr Mansour Alawar and Chuck Wexler Andrew Trotter, Deputy Chief Constable of the British Transport Police, who will present an in-depth perspective on their experiences in dealing with July's London bombings.

David Scott, Head of Specialist Operations Group for the London Fire Brigade, will, on January 30, talk about the response to the London bombings.

Other key speakers include Chief Robert Triozzi of the Venice Fire Brigade who will be speaking about fire fighting for waterside developments — a very apt subject considering all the new waterside projects in the region.

Frank Cruthers, First Deputy Commissioner of the New York Fire Department talks upon another highly topical subject, fire fighting for skyscrapers.

Other speakers include Roger Smith and Dieter Schmidt.

On the final day on January 31, the discussion will focus on Health & Safety. Stewart Kidd will talk about 'Health and Safety in Modern Retail and Commercial Premises' while Dr Willie Peter Labuschagne will address on occupational safety in the oil and gas industry. Simon Ancliffe will discuss another increasingly important subject in relation to evacuation procedures for public buildings. Other speakers include Neil Budworth and Lug Kwokalezyk.

Running parallel with the International Police, Fire and Safety Conference will be the Exhibitors Commercial Conference which will take place over three days and include speakers from across the globe, representing companies such as Norbain, GE Security, NFPA and The Justice Institute of British Columbia.

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