ADP discuss with partners means to exchange expertise in fight against drugs

Abu Dhabi Police, represented by the Anti-Drug Section at the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, has convened an inaugural annual meeting with eight internal and external partners to discuss ways of exchanging expertise in the fight against drugs.

The meeting was held in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of Major General Omair Muhammad Ateeq Al Muhairi, Director-General of Police Operations at Abu Dhabi Police.

Major General Al Muhairi emphasised that the UAE is exerting considerable and determined efforts to eradicate drugs and the various types of crime, which represents multi-faceted risks at the various social, economic and security levels.

He said that the UAE government dedicates significant attention to fighting drugs, in response to the directives of the police leadership and its unwavering commitment to provide the necessary human, technical and material resources, and to leverage the advances in technology and modern concepts in the fight against drugs.

The Director-General of Police Operations said, "Fighting the devastating scourge of drugs is a shared responsibility of not just police bodies, but of every patriotic individual and organization. It requires participation of all government agencies and private sector companies to play an active role in this endeavour."

Colonel Dr. Rashid Mohammad Borshid, Head of CID at the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ, emphasised that drug use and abuse have become a major problem experienced by world countries, which put in unrelenting efforts to combat it, due to its multi-faceted risks at the various social, economic and security levels.

Colonel Sultan Suwayeh Al Darmaki, Chief of the Anti-Drug Section at the Abu Dhabi Police, said that the first annual meeting to exchange expertise in the fight against drugs and psychotropic substances tackles awareness and therapeutic efforts. It reflects the commitment of the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ towards to fighting drugs and psychotropic substances; and is held to mark the International Day against Drugs and Illicit Trafficking, which is observed across the world on June 26 every year.

Dr. Hamad Al Ghaferi, Director-General of the National Rehabilitation Centre, NRC, hailed the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Interior and the Abu Dhabi Police in the fight against drug use and addiction, to prevent the spread of this nefarious scourge in every possible way.

He also hailed the ongoing pursuit to promote partnership with community institutions to curb drug use and addiction, and protect members of society from the dangers of drugs. He said that the ministry has spared no effort to eradicate this menace on all levels, by raising awareness on the dangers of drugs; introducing the means of proactive prevention, tracking down and arresting drug traffickers and peddlers to achieve the desired goal.

Dr. Asma Fakhri, drug control expert at UNODC Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, commended the efforts of the MoI in the fight against drugs. She also commended the ministry commitment to harnessing all available resources to cooperate with the UNODC, to support the drug fighting efforts; as well as striving to reinforce the skills and capabilities of human resources to spread awareness amongst members of society, and devising pioneering drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation strategies.

During the meeting, a number of topics were discussed, including: international cooperation in the fight against drugs, as well as promoting the means of awareness and rehabilitation methods, based on the experience of the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) and UNODC Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries.

The winner will face one of two first-time semi-finalists -- Timea Bacsinszky, the 23rd seeded Swiss, or unseeded Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium, the world number 93.
Source: AFP