Dubai Police urge public to call 901 with non-emergency

DUBAI // How do I book a flight to Kuwait? When does the shopping festival end? Can I get a job with the police?

Those are just a few of the inane queries the Dubai Police emergency line continues to receive every day, despite the launch of a general enquiries line to field such questions last year.

The toll-free number, 901, was launched in October 2010 to divert non-urgent calls from the emergency number, 999, and limit its misuse.

Last year, 1.5 million of the 1.9 million calls received on 999 were non-emergency calls. Among examples of calls fielded by 999 operators where 'which pharmacy is on night duty' and 'how do I pay traffic fines'.

Dr Jasim al Rumaithi, head of the general department of operations at Dubai Police, said more than 75 per cent of the calls coming into the operation room are non-emergency calls.

The trend has continued even after police set up the 901 line for general enquiries. Since the establishment of the 901 number, only about 10,000 calls were have been received and general inquiry calls are still being made to the operation room.

Now, Dr al Rumaithi is calling on the public to understand the difference between 901 and 999 and be more mindful or the calls they make to the hotline.

"We have a target of answering calls made to the operation room within 10 seconds. Although the force is able to meet this target most of the time, the fact that the majority of those calls are not emergency calls is overburdening the system and wasting our resources. That is why we decided to set up 901, and why we want to encourage the public to use it," said Dr al Rumaithi.

Dubai Police have launched an awareness campaign to educate the public about the new number and what services it provides.

The campaign, which started yesterday and will run until March 3, will spread the message by SMS, at ATM-machines, and through the media. Police will also distribute about 20,000 flyers in both English and Arabic on the services the new call centre provides.

Police ask that all criminal and traffic enquiries - from how to get a certificate of good conduct to requesting burial permission - be directed to 901 and not 999. Call centre operators are also equipped to send the relevant applications upon request.

The 901 call centre operates around the clock to answer public enquiries whether they be related to Dubai Police or general information in Dubai.

The centre will also receive suggestions and complaints from the public.

wissa@thenational.ae

RESULT

Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')

Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km

While you're here

Peter Hellyer: UAE's conservationists are playing an important role on the global stage

Gillian Duncan: Parts of UAE desert were carpeted with greenery before camels overran them

James Langton: Abu Dhabi environment report highlights record conservation efforts

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)

Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai

Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence

Steve Baker
Peter Bone
Ben Bradley
Andrew Bridgen
Maria Caulfield
Simon Clarke
Philip Davies
Nadine Dorries
James Duddridge
Mark Francois
Chris Green
Adam Holloway
Andrea Jenkyns
Anne-Marie Morris
Sheryll Murray
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Laurence Robertson
Lee Rowley
Henry Smith
Martin Vickers
John Whittingdale