The Dubai Police Museum at the force's headquarters in Al Twar 1 traces the history of the force. Chris Whiteoak / The National
The Dubai Police Museum at the force's headquarters in Al Twar 1 traces the history of the force. Chris Whiteoak / The National
The Dubai Police Museum at the force's headquarters in Al Twar 1 traces the history of the force. Chris Whiteoak / The National
The Dubai Police Museum at the force's headquarters in Al Twar 1 traces the history of the force. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Weekend

Timeframe: Dubai Police marks 67th anniversary of founding

The force was created on June 1, 1956, in the Naif area of Deira

Razmig Bedirian
Razmig Bedirian

June 02, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai Police turns 67 this month.

The force was founded on June 1, 1956, in the Naif area of Deira. Its headquarters were in Naif Fort, a structure that has since been repurposed as a museum. While Dubai Police now has tens of thousands of sworn members, the force began with just 29 officers.

It grew incrementally over the years, increasing to 430 members within a decade. Dubai Police now has branches throughout the emirate, with its current headquarters in Al Twar 1 on Al Ittihad Road. A museum in the headquarters traces the development of the force.

  • The sign for the Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The sign for the Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The outside of the Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The outside of the Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The inside of the Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The inside of the Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Old police uniforms on display at Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Old police uniforms on display at Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A mannequin dressed in an old Dubai Police uniform. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A mannequin dressed in an old Dubai Police uniform. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Old police uniforms on display at Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Old police uniforms on display at Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Pictures of members of the Dubai Police force over the years on display at the museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Pictures of members of the Dubai Police force over the years on display at the museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Instruments used in the Dubai Police Marching Band. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Instruments used in the Dubai Police Marching Band. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The Military and technical equipment hall at Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The Military and technical equipment hall at Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Some of the items on display at the Military and technical equipment hall in Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Some of the items on display at the Military and technical equipment hall in Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A box used by criminals in attempts to smuggle drugs into the country. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A box used by criminals in attempts to smuggle drugs into the country. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The general command hall in Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The general command hall in Dubai Police Museum. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Peter H Clayton was Dubai Police’s first commander-in-chief. A member of the Trucial Oman Levies, later the Trucial Oman Scouts, Clayton was stationed in the Emirates between 1954 and 1957.

Clayton was said to have been fluent in Arabic and went by the name Sultan bin Hamis. He was a close friend of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late Founding Father of the UAE.

Dubai Police has had six commanders-in-chief since then, including Peter George Lorimer, Jack Briggs, Abdullah Belhoul, Dhahi Khalfan Tamim and Khamis Mattar Al Mezaina. The force is currently led by Lt Gen Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, who assumed the position of commander-in-chief in 2017.

Dubai Police is well known for its fleet of supercars, including a $2 million Bugatti Veyron. EPA
Dubai Police is well known for its fleet of supercars, including a $2 million Bugatti Veyron. EPA

From humble beginnings, Dubai Police has grown into a pioneering force in the region – particularly in its use of cutting-edge technology.

It was among the first to introduce DNA testing, electronic finger printing as well as other modern law-enforcement methods. It also led the way in using GPS technology to locate stolen vehicles.

The force is also known for its co-operation with law enforcement agencies around the world. Famously, it is also known for its fleet of supercars, including a $2 million Bugatti Veyron.

Dubai Police has also spoken about introducing robots to its police force, as well as a police station that won’t require human personnel. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the force used drones in the Naif area to clamp down on illegal activity.

The force has also achieved fame for its athletic efforts. Its cycling team, founded under the leadership of Belhoul in 1977, has participated in races around the world and has won several awards.

Most recently, its first all-women Swat team competed against the world’s best in the annual UAE Swat Challenge. The female force was made up of jiu-jitsu champions, keen-eyed sharpshooters and officers chosen to protect A-list celebrities.

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

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While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.

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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.”

What can you do?

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A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

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A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

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Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

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Updated: June 02, 2023, 6:01 PM
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