98% of Sharjah, Ajman residents feel safe

Serious crimes have decreased by 58 per cent and drug crimes by 61 per cent in Sharjah.

Proving that the UAE is well on its way to becoming the world's safest, the Sharjah and Ajman Police shared how round-the-clock patrolling and use of smart technologies helped reduce crime rates

Sharjah cops respond to 3.97m emergency calls

Over 98 per cent of Sharjah residents feel safe and secure, thanks to the Sharjah Police who have been "striving to achieve social security in the emirate".

Major-General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of the Sharjah Police, said their efforts were aligned with the Ministry of Interior's (MoI) objective of making the UAE the safest country in the world.

"Serious crimes have decreased by 58 per cent and drug crimes by 61 per cent in Sharjah. This can be attributed to the intensified police presence in areas that earlier had high crime rates."

Brigadier-General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, deputy commander-in chief of the Sharjah Police, said: "In emergency situations, Sharjah residents received help from the police in a standard response time of 9.6 minutes. Urgent intervention was provided by the Sharjah Police in 3.97 million calls, out of over 240 million calls received over the 999 and 901 hotlines."

Brig-Gen Amer added that the Sharjah Police achieved a 96.6 per cent increase in customer satisfaction, among residents and visitors who required police services. "A total of 5,120 senior citizens and people with determination were also transported to the hospitals." Besides ensuring that emergencies are responded to and residents feel secure, the Sharjah Police also managed to "resolve 6,210 cases and repay Dh313.2 million to creditors as part of 'Reconciliation to solve disputes' initiative in 2018", the officer said.

Dr Khalifa Kalender, director of the police stations department at Sharjah Police general headquarters, said the reconciliation initiative had achieved its goals.

"As part of the initiative, Al Buhaira, Al Gharb and Hira police stations resolved 5,167 disputes in 2016. In 2017, these police stations resolved 6,923 cases, restoring Dh347.8 million to complainants.

"The initiative helped solve financial disputes and reduce bounced cheque cases. It also contributed to reducing files referred to the public prosecution and courts," he added.

How Sharjah went the extra mile

In the emirate, everyone is entitled to a sense of security: including those who are behind bars. The Sharjah Punitive and Reformatory Establishments (SPRE) has launched a number of initiatives to provide relief to inmates and their families. These include the following:

> Sanad initiative: A total of Dh17.5 million was paid to settle the debts of 232 inmates in collaboration with charity organisations

> Giving Hope initiative: Health, social and educational services were provided to 111 children of inmates

> Illness Recovery initiative: 60 detained drug addicts were enrolled in a counselling programme

Ajman installs 100,000 cameras

With heightened police activity and 100,000 cameras installed in buildings across the emirate, 98 per cent of Ajman residents feel secure, officers said in a recent media forum.

Major-General Abdullah bin Sultan Al Nuaimi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ajman Police, said the tightened security measures resulted in a drop in crime rates. Serious cases, in particular, declined by 17 per cent in 2018 with only 2,350 incidents registered in all police stations.

"The decrease in the number of crimes has led to a boost in people's sense of security, reaching 98 per cent. This achievement falls in line with the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Interior," he said.

A total of 6,196 crime cases were filed at Ajman's police stations in 2018, down from 7,487 in 2017. The number of financial crimes also fell from 5,804 in 2017 to 3,846 in 2018. For all cases, Dh111 million had been settled amicably in the same year, he added. When it comes to emergency response, the emirate's police clocked an average of 7.44 minutes during the past year, marking an improvement from 10.2 minutes in 2017. Maj-Gen Al Nuaimi attributed the fast response to a revamped operation room and a 25.6-per-cent increase in patrol numbers.

How Ajman went smart to boost safety

While installing thousands of cameras across the emirate bolstered security, the Ajman Police knew that ensuring public safety would require a host of other initiatives - and so they rolled out the following projects last year:

> 94% of police services are now delivered via smart technologies

> 8 dilapidated houses and 162 abandoned cars - which were found to have been used as crime hubs - were demolished

> 13 streets were lit up

> 12 security campaigns were carried out to combat illegal activities

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• UAE
• Sharjah
• Ajman