Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announces new government service centre ratings

The Vice President and Ruler of Dubai praises 14 facilities for improving rankings

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced new government centre ratings on Saturday.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has praised the best-performing government service centres as new rankings were announced on Saturday.

Sheikh Mohammed said of the 69 facilities assessed, 14 had improved their rankings.

He highlighted Fujairah Traffic and Licensing Centre and the branch of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship for achieving the highest rating in the latest round of inspections, at six stars.

Sheikh Mohammed called on centres that secured only three stars - the lowest in the Emirates - to raise their performances.

The UAE Government introduced a star rating system - grading from two stars to seven - in 2012 as part of a drive to boost the quality of services provided to the public.

The Ruler of Dubai has long championed efforts to enhance customer service standards across the country.

He has frequently carried out unexpected inspections of government offices to ensure high expectations are being met.

In 2019, Sheikh Mohammed announced the five top and five poorest performing centres in the country following an extensive study that examined 600 government service providers across the Emirates.

Employees at the best centres were given two-month salary bonuses as a reward.

Senior managers at failing centres were dismissed, with Sheikh Mohammed saying they would be “replaced by managers who know how to deal with customers”.

The previous year he carried out an inspection of Dubai International Airport and called on officials to "raise the bar" in welcoming travellers and simplifying procedures for people flying in and out of the UAE.

In 2016, Sheikh Mohammed toured Dubai's Land Department and the Department of Economic Development, finding empty desks on the morning staff were due to return to work after a long weekend.