DUBAI // The UK will help the UAE to gear up in security equipment and training ahead of Expo 2020.
Advanced wireless surveillance cameras are among the many security measures planned for the event, according to the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation.
“You need a good basis of preparation to ensure a safe event,” said Simon Everest, a senior security adviser at the organisation.
“It’s about managing huge influxes of people, so it’s a lot of crowd management, safety design and the earlier you start, the better.”
He was speaking yesterday at Intersec, one of the region’s largest trade and networking exhibition for the security and safety industries.
“There are challenges around security at events like the Expo,” Mr Everest said. “Our ministry of interior, which led the security planning for the 2012 Olympics, is very keen to share the experiences we have had with anybody that has the same type of challenges.”
Richard Freeman, a police and security adviser at the organisation, said the UAE should examine the risks and “decide how to manage and mitigate them in a way that is unintrusive”.
He said the UK had a long history of security-related innovation.
“You can put as many cameras as you want, it’s actually the quality of the imagery and what you do with it that makes a difference,” said Mr Freeman.
Wireless surveillance cameras would be among the devices used at Expo 2020.
“The use of wireless technology for CCTV transmission wasn’t there four or five years ago,” he said. “It was really untested and it wasn’t a really valuable piece of technology.
“Now it’s here, it’s well-tested and we’ve got some very good companies here that have that capability, so that rules out any cables.”
Countries across the Middle East were looking at wireless transmission data because “it’s cheap, reliable and secure”, said Mr Freeman.
“The desert brings all sorts of issues. For example, how to secure fencing in the sand brings its own challenges, so [removing] cables makes it easier,” he said.
Police training is another area of interest. Mr Freeman said a British company provided specialist police training to the Middle East in the UK and in the region.
It trains 20 students per course, identifying the top two students and ensuring that they can train their countrymen without the company’s support.
The transfer of such skills is crucial to ensure that the UAE gains the ability to maintain the same level of training, according to Mr Everest.
Mr Freeman said the UK’s wealth of security policies and procedures had been well-tested, ranging from cyber to chemical and biological threats.
“We exercise very thoroughly and we’ve got a great deal to share in terms of planning and preparation,” he said.
“The eyes of the world are on every country that hosts a major event, so it’s important to plan it seven years in advance to make sure you get it right. The Government will have to structure the process now, but you can never start early enough.”
Many of the 166 British companies taking part in Intersec are hoping to assist the UAE with security challenges.
Mr Everest said: “It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, there are challenges to be faced in security – whether it’s protecting your critical national infrastructure or guarding against criminal elements, law enforcement or cyber-security.”
cmalek@thenational.ae