DUBAI: As the “Year of Giving 2017” has wound up and the country started the “Year of Zayed 2018”, statistics from Dubai Police indicate that 3,006,916 people benefited from humanitarian initiatives and events organised by the force throughout the calendar year.

The numbers were unveiled on Jan.16 by the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Academic Affairs and Training and Head of the Year of Giving Initiatives Team of Dubai Police, Major General Mohammed Ahmed Bin Fahd.

He told the media at the Police Academy that “humanitarian work is the core of police work to establish security and happiness.

“Our security and humanitarianism has won the hearts of residents who consider Dubai as their home before their ancestral nations,” he said.

He attributed this “feeling of security that you can read from everybody around you” to “visionary leadership.”

He said the force’s humanitarian and social initiatives fall in line with the vision of Year of Giving as declared by the President of the UAE,  His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and as per the directives of the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with the follow-up of the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri.”

Bin Fahd said the UAE’s humanitarian approach, which was promoted by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is being strengthened under our wise leadership, and the Dubai Police General HQ is proud to be part of the country’s national and international humanitarian efforts.

109 INITIATIVES

He said that under the direction and follow-up of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police launched 109 initiatives and events to reflect the force’s humanitarian and social responsibility image throughout of the Year of Giving.

Bin Fahd explained that more than 3 million people inside and outside the country have benefited from these initiatives, and that 1,244 people had volunteered and delivered a total of ten thousand and 593 volunteer hours.

He added that the activities and initiatives ranged from social, awareness, environmental, security, national, to health and economic aspects, all of which established the concept of social responsibility, especially among young people.

KEY ACTIVITIES

The boss of the police academy mentioned charitable activities that included ideas such as the “Eid Basket” initiative which sought to provide baskets of fruit for needy families, and the initiative to “donate the force’s used miscellaneous” such as blankets, bedsheets, shoes and old furniture.

He added that other initiatives included organising an exhibition for family-made products and the Eid Al-Khair initiative. There was also the “Good Reading” initiative, which is to invite target groups from all sectors of the society, especially young people, experts and researchers, to read in both Arabic and English. A sum of Dhs10 was allocated for each book read by the reader.