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150 Strategic Infrastructure Projects for Abu Dhabi Police

ABU DHABI — Over 150 infrastructure projects aimed at coping with the expected demographic expansion of the Abu Dhabi emirate are currently being developed for the Abu Dhabi Police.

The facilities are expected to be fully operational by 2012.

“Right now we have a multi-billion project which are undergoing between pre-design, design consultation and contractor’s execution for the Abu Dhabi Police Head Quarters,” disclosed Dr Eman Asaad, architectural consultant for the Engineering Projects Administration of the Abu Dhabi Police.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the opening of the World Class Protection and Security Conference for Public and Strategic Buildings on Sunday, Dr Asaad said the infrastructure projects included the establishment of courts, police stations, training villages, villas/residences for officers, barracks, jails, juvenile correction facilities, airbase, hotel/club for the Abu Dhabi Police officers and the expansion of the building of the Abu Dhabi Police General Head Quarters.

“Over 150 projects are ongoing, with planned delivery of within three years. By 2012, they will all be functional,” she said adding that these facilities will be established across the Abu Dhabi islands and the main land, Al Ain and the Western Region.

“The image of Abu Dhabi is one of the most secured cities in the world, and a lot is being done in order to maintain that level of security. Abu Dhabi Police is really working hard to get to that level,” Dr Asaad said.

According to James Le Mesurier, head of Safety and Security Master Planning Team for the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), the emirate at present has a population of 1.29 million and will reach three million by 2030.

“In order to cope with the demographic expansion planned by the UPC for its Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, we have put a five year-plan in our administration and we’re working on how are we going to match the demographic changes with that of the infrastructure of the Abu Dhabi Police,” stated Dr Asaad.

“In order for the Police to maintain that same level of security, we have to provide more buildings. When you have more population, you need to have more police services which should be in parallel to that number of people,” she added.

Dr Asaad also disclosed that the Abu Dhabi Police is establishing a private company to specialise in project management for the authority, named Secure Project Management LLC, which will start operation in January next year.

“Secure Project Management LLC will be the project management arm of Engineering Projects Administration of the Abu Dhabi Police but it will be a private sector .. (and) will oversee all projects related to the Abu Dhabi Police. This is important for us because some of our staff will be shifting to Secure,” she noted.

The two-day conference, which was attended by security and building experts from the US, the UK, France, Germany, New Zealand, Egypt and the UAE featured four interesting topics – risks to vital installation in the era of globalisation, new technologies in the field of vital installations protection, means and modern techniques used in engineering designs to protect the vital installations and achieve public safety and experiences for some advanced countries adopting new technology and engineering designs to protect security and vital 
installations.

olivia@khaleejtimes.ae