Dubai: The Dubai Police General Command has unveiled tremendous upgrades to its work mechanisms and programmes specialized in communicating and supporting victims of crimes and traffic accidents.

 
According to Expert Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs at Dubai Police, the upgrades include a dedicated section with greater powers and capabilities, renewed objectives, a reimagined work mechanism, a new attractive corporate identity and logo, and smart online services. 
 
“The new Victim Support Section will be run by an elite group of security and psychology experts, who will work closely with all police stations to provide psychological and administrative support to victims of traffic and criminal incidents,” Maj. Gen. Al Mansouri said. 
 
Maj. Gen. Al Mansouri explained that the upgrades introduced to the Victim Support Section are per the directives of His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, to provide the timely and necessary support to all victims and help them overcome their ordeals. He explained that Dubai Police’s Victim Support programme aims to achieve Dubai Police’s mission of establishing security and providing support to victims, thereby strengthening the public’s trust and ensuring community happiness. 
 
“The Programme was launched by the Dubai Police in 2004,” “Its social and humanitarian goal is to follow up criminal and traffic reports and provide victims with the support and assistance they need around the clock” Maj. Gen. Al Mansouri noted. 
 
New Corporate Identity & Logo
 
Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation, confirmed that the Victim Support Section will have a new corporate identity that bears a new logo derived from the sign language lexicon. “The new logo is an interconnection of two hands holding on to each other, which reflects support and solidarity,” Brig. Al Jallaf explained. 
 
                                                                                                                     
Brig. Al Jallaf reaffirmed that the General Department of Criminal Investigation at Dubai Police has set new future goals for the Programme to enhance mutual trust between the police force and members of society. “The new goals aim at launching community-based initiatives for victims, which contribute to raising the trust in police index and making Dubai a safer and more secure city,” he said. 
 
Brig. Al Jallaf pointed out that the Victim Support Section resolves and amicably settles disputes to reduce crime and prevent abuse and violence. It is also developing a wide array of smart services to facilitate communication with victims.
 
Brig. Al Jallaf further noted that the General Department of Criminal Investigation has also set a new goal for the Victim Support Section, which is to communicate with 90% of victims of criminal and traffic reports across all police stations within seven working days. He pointed out that the Section seeks to provide psychological and social guidance for individuals, support victims in facing life's difficulties, strengthen and maintain family ties, promote the concept of law and justice in society, and enhance cooperation and coordination between government and private departments and institutions.
 
Brig. Al Jallaf explained that the Victim Support Section is currently working to conduct field visits to assess cases it deals with and coordinate with the competent authorities to provide support and assistance to victims. He noted that the Section has trained cadres and provides services in cooperation with the employees of police stations at the level of the Emirate of Dubai. 
 
 
Captain Dr Abdullah Al Sheikh, Head of Victim Support Section at Dubai Police, said they provided support to victims of criminal and traffic accidents from 48 nationalities last year. Thus responding to 99.8% of total cases received. Meanwhile, the Section contacted victims from 58 nationalities during the first quarter of 2021, achieving 99.7% of the total cases received. 
Cap. Al Sheikh pointed out that the Victim Support Section provided support in 289 ‘Status Verification’ cases and 614 cases related to custody of children. It also provided support to families of 153 death cases and received 854 victims.
 
He added that the Section also carried out 1493 field visits to interview victims, and provided support and assistance to 575 requests received via the Dubai Police website.
 
Capt. Al Sheikh said they responded to 2022 cases during the new coronavirus outbreak. “We, in collaboration and cooperation with our strategic partners at the local charities, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian & Charity Establishment, and Tarahum Charity Foundation, provided all kind of support including food, medicine, transport, and medical check-ups to those in need,” he said. 
 
Capt. Al Sheikh confirmed they have dealt with many humanitarian cases including the case of a British national who was about to end his own life after a decades-long battle with depression when the Section made an in-time intervention and saved his life. 
 
“The Brit had drinking issues due to mental health problems and depression,” “He eventually had a relationship break-up and experienced extreme loneliness away from friends and his 21-year-old son,” Capt. Al Sheikh said. 
 
He added that the Section continued providing support to the man after receiving health and psychological treatment, and worked to change him into a positive person by appointing a psychologist to communicate with him directly. “This helped the man overcome suicidal thoughts and get out of his state of loneliness and despair,” Capt. Al Sheikh added.
 
The head of the Victim Support Section at Dubai Police said the man has become a completely different person, and he now champions mental health awareness by taking part in Dubai Police’s awareness lectures to share his own experience and encourage others to help everyone keeping an eye on key triggers. 
 
Captain Abdullah Al-Sheikh also pointed out that they also assisted a British woman who had not been able to leave the UAE since 2014 due to a standing court order against her. 
 
“She had guaranteed her husband for a bank loan, but he deceived her and took the money before he travelled back home for good,” Capt. Al Sheikh noted. 
 
He added that the woman resorted to the Victim Support Section after she had exhausted all options before her to pay off the loan that her husband had seized.
 
“We managed to get the bank's approval to waive off the case and helped the woman in distress return home to her children,” Capt. Al Sheikh explained. 
 
In another case, Captain Abdullah Al Sheikh confirmed that the Section responded to a request from a citizen to assist him in recovering a sum of money he had lent to a person, but the latter refused to return the money due to differences that arose between them.
 
Capt. Al Sheikh pointed out that the Victim Support Section communicated with both parties to end the dispute. “The men eventually reached a reconciliation and the whole money was paid back to the rightful person,” he concluded.