Qatar will launch the much-anticipated community policing service in April next year. The first community policing department will be set up in the Shamal security division, a senior official of the Ministry of Interior has said. Brigadier General Rashid Shaheen Al Ateeq, director of the Community Policing Committee at the Ministry, said the first department in Shamal will start functioning on a trial basis. The service will be expanded to other security regions in the country by 2011. The first training programme for officers of the Community Policing Department will start in October. He was speaking at the Green Tent at the Friends of the Environment Center on Monday. The objective of the Community Policing Department is to develop relations with the people and educate them on how to respect the country’s law as well as human rights. It seeks to create a sense of security among the public by supporting good behaviour and combating evil. “Social security is not the responsibility of only the Ministry of Interior. Other ministries and organisations should share this responsibility. Nationals and expatriates should also join in to achieve this goal,” said Al Ateeq. “Community policing is a very important concept. We have visited countries like Singapore and Dubai to see their experience in this field,” he added. He said the Al Shamal region was selected for the launch of the service for various reasons. The area accommodates a number of native tribes as well as major companies and corporations. The vast area is divided into several municipalities and sub regions which makes the operation of the department more convenient and meaningful. Officials from the Department will patrol the streets and mingle with people. They will be patrolling in cars as well as on foot. They will visit schools, markets, organisations and government departments to have a first hand experience of the trends and issues in the community. “The job of our officers is not to sit behind the desks and receive phone calls. Our aim is not just to address the problems as and when they arise but to see them in advance and provide security to the public,” said Al Ateeq. People’s forums will be established in various localities with involvement of prominent personalities from the community and with the support of the Community Policing Department. They will discuss issues concerning public security and seek ways to enhance it, jointly with the police. The Police Training Department will chalk out the training programme for the staff of the Community Policing Department. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=September2009&file=Local_News200909023135.xml Seems like Mr. Al Ateeq thinks Dubai is a country.....

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