More than 100,000 reports, complaints and incidents were handled by officers and security forces of the Interior Ministry last year, it has been revealed.
Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa praised the high level of readiness and professionalism demonstrated by officers, as well as their courage and swift response in dealing with incidents and security cases.
He expressed his gratitude and appreciation to police personnel for their dedication, loyalty and the sacrifices they make to maintain public security.
The details were highlighted in the February edition of Al Aman Magazine, which further reported that the Operations Department handled 29,178 communications, the vast majority of which – 61 per cent (17,798) – were response cases.
Response cases refer to the wide range of emergency and non-emergency calls that uniformed officers are dispatched to handle immediately, or in a timely manner, such as disruptive behaviour in public, theft or missing person cases.
The department also dealt with 9,920 (34pc) calls relating to traffic accidents, while the remaining 5pc (1,460 cases) pertained to security matters.
Meanwhile, the Coastguard handled 1,537 reports, including 916 cases involving people in need of assistance. Officers conducted 503 search and rescue operations and responded to 118 maritime accidents.
One of the most notable incidents occurred on October 20, when a crew was allegedly found using illegal bottom trawl nets and operating a vessel that failed to meet required maritime safety standards. A chase ensued, during which a man fell overboard, prompting an immediate search and rescue mission. His body was later recovered on November 3 by Qatari Coast Guard officers.
Civil Defence officers also dealt with a total of 16,102 reports, most of which (7,944) were requests for assistance. They also registered 2,522 reports of fires, 306 reports of objects such as trees or poles falling onto the road and 1,377 cases of vehicles breaking down.
The National Ambulance, meanwhile, reported handling 43,286 patients across the kingdom last year, including 7,437 cases that required emergency treatment.
They also assisted 4,946 victims of traffic accidents, 453 fire-related casualties and 4,521 victims of sporadic incidents.
Last year also saw the launch of the first responder ambulance motorcycle service, introduced to ensure rapid access to emergencies in areas with narrow roads or frequent traffic congestion.
Officials at the Customs Directorate carried out a large number of seizures, including 528 prohibited weapons and equipment alongside 10,591 counterfeit goods.
Additionally, they confiscated a total of 58,996 bags of tobacco, weighing a total of 12 tonnes. Around 286 seizures were made using x-ray equipment and 98 were made by the K9 unit.
The directorate reiterated their dedication to invest in human resources and modern technology to enhance performance and national security.
Finally, the authorities announced that they received 7,639 complaints on electronic platforms via the MyGov app, which was launched in February last year. This included 1,552 reports to the General Directorate of Anti-corruption and Economic and Electronic Security.
Police Directorates across the four governorates recorded 4,604 reports – 1,223 at the Cyber Crime Directorate, 110 at the Anti-Corruption Crime Directorate, 24 at the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, while the Child Protection in Cyberspace Unit dealt with 126 reports.
Performance evaluation has been largely positive, with the authorities announcing a 96pc rate of satisfaction with the online platforms.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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