Defend Dubai's public transport by reporting potential acts of terror, urge police

Community members from all over the world need to unite to defeat the threat of extremism, they said

Bahrain will be the fourth country in the Arabian Gulf to build a metro. Dubai Tourism

With the rapid expansion of the UAE’s public transportation systems, residents from all nationalities need to unite in defeating the threat of extremism by reporting any potential acts of terror, Dubai Police have said.

As there has been a number of incidents around the world that have targeted public transportation, including metro stations, trains and buses in recent years, they urged any individual or group “who learns of a terror act targeting transportation anywhere in the world” to share the information with authorities to save lives.

“Terrorism does not distinguish between nationalities or religion because it targets all,” Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai, told a forum on Sunday.

“Transportation systems have become a target by terrorists, but attacking civilians in public transportation is a heinous crime.”

He urged police units and community members from all over the world to unite in defeating the threat of extremism.

Brig Obaid Alhathboor, Director of the Transport Security Department at Dubai Police, said, however, that the UAE “is a model of security to be emulated by others.”

“High-tech cameras will be installed in Dubai metro and tram,” he said. “These cameras will detect whether there are any bags left out by passengers and send alerts to police.”

A total of 6,839 surveillance cameras have been installed in metro and tram station.

Transportation security in Dubai means that there is a crime rate of zero per one million commuters, police said.

A total of 94 per cent of passengers feel safe in the emirate’s public transportation means, according to a survey by transport police.