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Dubai /Â WAM
Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Saturday night inspected the Dubai Police operations room, set up to secure the New Year celebrations at the Burj Khalifa and on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai.
No incidents, security breaches or injuries were reported during the New Year gala, although more than half a million nationals from a large number of countries gathered in the area of no more than 1.7 square kilometres to participate in the celebrations, which were followed live around the world by one billion people.
“The celebrations were a great success, and in Downtown Dubai no traffic or security violations were reported, thanks to compliance of the committee overseeing the celebrations with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid,” said Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Deputy Director of the Department of Protective Security at Dubai Police, in a presentation made to brief Sheikh Mohammed about the situation on Saturday night.
All required precautions and preparations were made to ensure the public’s safety and comfort, as well as easy and problem-free access into the area, Al Marri noted.
In compliance with Sheikh Mohammed’s directives, 15 authorities and some 4,000 volunteers co-operated and co-ordinated with each other under the Dubai’s Events Security Committee, mobilising their human resources and logistics to ensure the success of the celebrations.
The authorities provided parking for some 9,000 vehicles in the area, in addition to public transportation to the celebrations, Al Marri noted.
Those who were present at the briefing included HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, the major sponsor of the New Year’s Eve show; and Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Director-General of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality in Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed congratulated the team on the success and praised them for the efforts they made.
He also spoke of the importance of co-ordination among all officials for all events and public occasions, to reflect the culture of the people and show the world that the UAE is a country of peace, co-existence and generous giving.
“May God bless you with good health for performing your duty. We are proud of you and all our young men and women who did their jobs in a successful and highly-efficient manner,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid told the working team.