Dubai Police Command and Control Centre responds to over half a million calls in a month

Queries related to precautionary measures during National Sterilisation Programme

Director of the Command and Control Centre at Dubai Police Colonel Turki bin Faris said the Centre responded to 553,406 phone calls during the National Sterilisation Programme from 26 March to 28 April.

Bin Faris said Dubai’s 999 emergency number received 432,477 calls while its 901 non-emergency number received 120,960 calls. The majority of these phone calls were inquiries related to precautionary and preventive measures put in place by Dubai and the movement permit required during the National Sterilisation Programme.

The Command and Control Centre received a record 52,000 phone calls in a single day immediately after the launch of the movement permit system. The exceptional efforts of the staff of the Centre enabled it to respond efficiently to the large number of calls, Bin Faris said.

The Director of the Command and Control Centre said callers could be grouped under two main types. The first constituted employees in the public and private sectors. Key questions they asked were related to commuting to work, getting a movement permit, the number of passengers allowed in a car and requirements to wear masks and gloves.

The second type of callers asked questions about precautionary measures, and movement permits for shopping and movement within their own area.

The Command and Control Centre said that while the number of calls on precautionary and preventive measures increased, calls to report criminal and traffic violations decreased significantly.

Colonel Turki bin Faris further said Dubai Police has dedicated the 901 number for inquiries related to traffic and criminal reporting. He requested the public to call 999 only for emergencies and 901 for inquiries.