Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, attended the opening of the third World Police Summit, being held under the theme ‘Uniting Global Police Forces for a Safer Tomorrow’.

The three-day summit, hosted by the Dubai Police from 3 – 7 March at the Dubai World Trade Centre, features the participation of more than 65 countries, over 170 speakers, more than 70 security leaders, and 130 exhibitors.

The opening ceremony was also attended by His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, and police leaders, security experts and professionals from across the world.

The World Police Summit brings together prominent police and security leaders, global law enforcement agencies, and experts to foster collaboration and information exchange, and discuss the latest developments and challenges in the field. The summit aims to address the most pressing global challenges in combating crime and enhancing security and safety in communities.

In his opening address, His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, extended a warm welcome to participating delegates. He said that guided by the leadership’s vision,major international and regional events and conferences hosted by Dubai and the UAE continue to promote sharing of new ideas, trends and best practices that can accelerate growth in vital sectors.

“Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the summit aims to explore new approaches to addressing major challenges faced by law enforcement agencies through workshops and sessions. The event will also see the launch of more than 10 awards in criminal, traffic and community fields,” he said.

Calling Dubai a city of the future and a land of opportunity, he said innovation and creativity are integral to its ethos and identity. He mentioned Dubai Police’s recent launch of the Drone Box, an AI-powered platform for launching drones that has reduced average emergency response time to one minute and 13 seconds, across a total of 2,679 incidents reported. The security coverage of the platform will reach 50% of Dubai’s urban areas by the middle of this year. Dubai Police is one of the world’s first police forces to deploy this system.

He cited the floating Smart Police Station set to be launched soon as an example of the innovation fostered by the government’s vision. The first initiative of its kind, the floating station, located 10km off the coast of Dubai, will offer 46 main services in criminal and security fields in seven different languages. The facility is expected to serve more than 500,000 people by 2030.

He also affirmed Dubai Police’s commitment to enhancing the capabilities of its human resources, which he said is the main driver of excellence. He emphasised that ensuring the perfect balance between work and mental and physical wellbeing is vital to enhancing employee loyalty. He highlighted the story of a Dubai Police employee who was injured on the job while performing his national duty, and how Dubai Police took care of his psychological and physical rehabilitation.

In his speech, Al Marri also congratulated the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in the United States of America on the occasion of its 131st anniversary set to be marked in May.

Al Marri further expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the leadership for the unlimited support they have extended to all government entities and task forces in Dubai.

The first day of the World Police Summit featured a Crime Prevention Conference, which kicked off with a session titled ‘The Evolution of International Collaboration Against Crime’. The session highlighted the importance of establishing a framework for collaboration between various stakeholders in crime prevention. It also delved into ways in which police forces and law enforcement bodies can create a flexible mechanism for sharing strategic plans and coordinating operational procedures.