(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
The Ajman Police received 48 local and international awards for its quality security services. So what kind of achievements have been made by the Ajman Police? Since 2008, the police department has functioned based on the strategies of the Minister of Interior which focuses on enhancing the skills of staff in various departments such as crime scene, forensics, CID and the traffic department. A Crime Scene Village in Ajman offers training to the staff by British and American experts. The village consists of two villas, two equipment storage facilities and accommodation for trainees. Launched in December 2011 on the directions of Shaikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, the village educates the police and medical staff on the importance of preserving evidence. Officers who underwent training have excelled in investigation of what we call blocked crimes, such as thefts, fires, kidnapping, murder and drugs. The Ajman Police have also focused on increasing the number of personnel and taking care of its staff to provide best services - one of the factors that enable then to gain such prestigious awards. What are your efforts in achieving customer satisfaction? The customer services section at Ajman Police stations helps in renewing, clearing certificated, paying fines and complaints for 500 customers every day. The staff are provided training to deal with customers with respect and offer them all support. How is the security condition in the emirate? The crime rate in Ajman dropped by 2.5 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014. According to security statistics released by the Ajman Police, the number of crimes recorded in 2015 was 7,561 as compared to 7,753 crimes in 2014. The number of financial crimes topped the list last year, with 5,812 cases, a five per cent decrease as compared to 2014 when 6,136 cases were recorded. Number of assault cases in 2015 reached 772. The drop in crime rates has been made possible through the police efforts in implementing the strategy of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), which aimed at curbing crimes that threaten the stability of the society. The deployment of patrols in residential, industrial and commercial areas the entire day is also one of the factors that contributed to the decease of the crime in the emirate. Are there any crimes related to state security? The crimes related to security issue were reduced to 63 last year against 74 crimes in 2014. Crimes related to blasphemy were 16 in 2015 while three human trafficking crimes were recorded. What are the efforts taken to reduce fatal accidents? This year, the police have intensified efforts to bring down the number of fatal accidents by more than 50 per cent. Speed adjustments are being made on roads that witnessed the highest percentage of accidents. The number of patrols on vital roads in the emirate have been increased. Publications in various languages are being distributed to raise awareness. The police are also working on installing 450 CCTV cameras across the emirate in malls, streets, car parks, hotels and residential and commercial buildings. The traffic ?situation ?in Ajman Fatal accidents fell by 18 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014 due to continuous awareness campaigns. Run-over accidents, however, reduced only by one per cent and this low rate is attributed to jawalkers, despite awareness efforts. The number of general accidents reported in 2015 reached 41,903, with an increase of 14 per cent compared to 2014. The number of serious and moderate injuries in 2015 was 324 while 2014 recorded 292 casualties. What are the efforts for crime prevention? The police have launched several awareness campaigns especially to bank clients to be cautious while withdrawing cash from banks in order to prevent thefts. Police have also obliged banks, money exchanges and jewellery shops to link their premises with the operations room. What about drug cases? The Ajman police in coordination with other departments have made great strides in busting gangs involved in trafficking, peddling and promoting drugs. Drug cases in schools among students have also reduced due to awareness campaigns. How do police use electronic services? The police have launched the Mursal service to facilitate communication with the public prosecution and other departments through its website. Online services have also been launched to detect lost or stolen mobile phones or any smart devices through website. The police currently provide 55 of its traffic services online and by the end of the year 88 per cent of its services will be online. With rapid growth of population are there any plans for expansion? Yes, the police is working to increase the number of police stations to eight instead of five in various areas. Next month the Al Jarf police station will be opened for public. Al Nuaimiya police station will be shifted to a new building by the end of this year. What is the situation at the Ajman central jail? The jail operates on international standards that respect human dignity. The police are now working on increasing the number of cells. It is also equipped with nurseries to provide care for children of women inmates, clinic with medical staff.Rehabilitation services are currently being provided to inmates. Phones cabins are also provided in jails which is open 24 hours a day. A monitoring team of judges also inspects the jail to ensure that the standards are maintained. International organisations concerned with human rights are also visiting the jail premise periodically and never detect any kind of mall practice at the services. How do the police respond to emergency? The Ajman Police have enhanced its services in terms of quick intervention and quick response to emergency. In the case of the Ajman One tower, the police arrived at the scene within two minutes. The operations room has staff who can deal with callers in various languages. What are the future plans? Going electronic 100 per cent and establishing a new building for the police headquarters at Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Road. Would you like to says something to readers? I urge people to respect the law and cooperate with the police to report any kind of any illegal activities that threaten the security and stability of the country. Afkar Abdullah