Sheikh Hamdan watches as Dubai Police hold live hostage drill on metro train

The simulation took place at a new police control centre

Dubai Police's armed response unit in action for this simulation run at a training centre, made to look like a Dubai metro station. All photos courtesy: Dubai Media Office

Armed hostage takers hold passengers in front of them in the mocked-up station

A hostage taker shields himself using a passenger as he attempts to board the train

Control room officers watch the action unfold via CCTV

A suspect drops his gun and surrenders as police board the train

Police throw smoke bombs and storm the train as the suspects surrender

Hamdan bin Mohammed toured the Hamdan Smart Station for Simulation and Training, where the drill took place

Sheikh Hamdan meets members of Dubai Police's black-clad armed response unit

Senior officials watch the drill from the sidelines

Police showed off their latest riot gear equipment

Hamdan bin Mohammed toured the Hamdan Smart Station for Simulation and Training, where the drill took place

Hamdan bin Mohammed toured the Hamdan Smart Station for Simulation and Training, where the drill took place

Dubai Police held a simulation of a hostage situation in a full-sized mock-up of a city metro station.

Dramatic pictures showed gunmen holding passengers as shields as officers confront them on the station concourse.

Armed police are seen boarding a metro train to neutralise the hostage takers.

Swat teams throw smoke into the carriage and the suspects surrender at gunpoint.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, was among the senior officials who watched and later met Swat team officers.

He thanked the police and security services who “strive to serve the community”.

The simulation was held as Sheikh Hamdan opened a new police control centre, which has a large training and simulation suite.

Dubai’s Swat teams wear black battle dress uniforms and a distinctive black hamdaniya.

Unlike most patrol officers, who wear green jumpsuits and typically carry only a baton, Swat teams are heavily armed and wear protective body armour.

Each year, Dubai hosts special law enforcement units from around the globe for a week-long competition to test their skills and training.

Facial recognition system for metro stations

CCTV cameras that use artificial intelligence to scan faces will soon be brought into Dubai’s metro stations.

The move is an extension of a system that is already in place at Dubai International Airport.

“This technology has proven its effectiveness to identify suspicious and wanted people,” Obaid Al Hathboor, director of Dubai Police’s Transport Security Department, told AFP news agency.

“We aspire to raise our performance by building on our current capabilities, to ensure a high level of security in metro stations and other transport sectors,” he said.

Jamal Rashed, also from the Transport Security Department, said facial recognition technology will be rolled out in all metro stations in the coming months .

Other technology already in use to combat the spread of the coronavirus, such as helmets with thermal cameras and smart glasses, will also be used to identify and manage large crowds.

“It took at least five hours to identify a suspect before,” he said.

“With this technology, it takes less than a minute.”