Sharjah police will use social media to interact with residents

Major General Humaid Al Hudaidi, the Commander in Chief of Sharjah Police, is urging residents to interact with officers through websites and smartphone apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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SHARJAH // Sharjah police will increase its use of social media to help get their message across to residents, particularly youngsters, this year.

Maj Gen Humaid Al Hudaidi, Commander in Chief of Sharjah Police, said residents were being encouraged to interact with officers through websites and smartphone apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

“Projects like the police security culture campaign in schools, undertaken with the Sharjah Education Zone, have helped to build a culture of security starting with the youth,” said Gen Al Hudaidi, adding that a good relationship between the police and the media was essential.

“The responsibility of the media is not only to monitor what we do but also to be our eyes and show us what we have not seen,” he said.

Gen Al Hudaidi said officers would be targeting all government schools in the emirate during the security culture programme this year, as well as 15 private schools.

As part of the campaign, officers will visit schools to help pupils learn about security, crime and traffic safety issues. They aim to curb bad behaviour in schools such as smoking, truancy and fighting, and prevent youngsters from dropping out of education.

Gen Al Hudaidi said it was also hoped the campaign would reduce pupils’ vulnerability to drugs and gangs, and reduce the number of drugs-related incidents in schools.

He added official figures showing an overall reduction in the number of crimes reported in the emirate last year would be available next week.

Gen Al Hudaidi was speaking on the sidelines of the annual police ceremony to honour strategic partners – government departments and private establishments – that have co-operated in keeping the country safe.

He said the police’s relationship with the media was improving and becoming more interactive and he hoped this would continue this year. Gen Al Hudaidi also said that improved co-operation with the media was not restricted to Sharjah, but was a strategy the Ministry of Interior is fostering in all of the country’s police departments. He added the Government was investing heavily in the media as it was recognised as a key partner in the nation’s development.

An example of this deepening relationship was demonstrated when Sharjah police’s media and public relations director, Sultan Al Khayal, scooped the emirate’s first Government Communication Award as the best spokesman in the emirate.

Also in attendance at the award ceremony at police headquarters was Brig Abdullah bin Sahoo, the director of Sharjah Civil Defence, who announced the Ministry of Interior had given the department six additional firefighting vehicles and new water pumps to be put to use this year.

ykakande@thenational.ae