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UAE hero cop pays all fees to help driver in trouble

Sharjah - Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed lauded the officer for his noble deed.

Sgt Ahmed Hassan Al Hammadi was on patrol duty when he spotted a man who was trying to move his car that had broken down on the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road. He came to his aid right away. Next thing the driver knew, the officer had already called for a towing service — and even paid for it.

When Sudanese national Zain Al Abidin tried to return the money, the officer’s answer touched his heart: ‘There’s no need, you are like my father or older brother’. “I made sure to remember his name which I saw in his badge and thanked him through a live radio programme for others to know that goodness still exists in the heart of people,” Zain Al Abidin said.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Sunday praised Al Hammadi’s kindness and generosity in a tweet.

“Offering help and good deeds are deeply rooted values in the UAE society. The gesture of Ahmed Hassan Al Hammadi from the Sharjah Police for Zain Al Abidin — who expressed his gratitude in kind words — is a recurring example in our blessed land. I thank them, and praise all those who faithfully serve people and represent values of their community,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote.

For Sgt Al Hammadi, helping others is a duty he takes to heart. “What I have done was what I learnt from the UAE’s leaders. It was part of the virtues and customs we were brought up on. We grew up committed to helping people,” he told Khaleej Times.

Overjoyed to read Sheikh Mohamed’s tweet, he said: “I thank His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for his message and encouragement. All these only reflect the core values upon which the UAE society was founded.”

Al Hammadi has been serving at the General Command of the Sharjah Police since 2009. Last week, when the elderly driver’s message of thanks reached the force’s top officers, the sergeant was honoured in a simple ceremony. Major-General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of the Sharjah Police, recognised his determination to go above and beyond his duty just to provide the best possible support to a resident who needed help.

Zain Al Abidin, who has been living in the UAE over the past 25 years, won’t ever forget the sergeant and his kindness.

“I was trying to move my car to the side of the road when all of a sudden, the officer came. He offered to help me get a towing service so that my vehicle can be taken to any garage I prefer,” recalled the expat, who works as a consultant in Dubai.

In less than 10 minutes, the towing truck arrived, he added. “Sgt Al Hammadi even helped load the car onto the vehicle. I understood that he may just be doing his duty as a cop, but what shocked me was that he even paid for the towing service without my knowledge.”

It turned out that when Zain Al Abidin got inside the recovery vehicle, Al Hammadi followed them and, at one point, he asked the driver to pull over and come to him.

“Even the recovery vehicle’s driver was shocked that the officer paid all fees,” he recounted.

“I was overwhelmed by his kindness. But, in truth, it’s not strange for Emiratis to be so kind, as they are the sons of Zayed. Even the blind can see the culture of giving and generosity of this country and its people."

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com