MANAMA, 14 April 2005 — Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior has fully adopted a community policing program aimed at increasing its operational ability, a top official disclosed on Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani, head of the Public Security Directorate, said the move was part of the reform process and aims to create a secure environment to allow further political, economic and social change.
Maj. Gen. Al-Zayani described the new strategy, the first of its kind in the region, as a tool that would empower the ministry to combat crime more effectively by working closely with the community leaders.
“It would double the ability of the ministry to combat crime through a more proactive approach that would involve the community as partners in the process of fighting crime,” he told a group of school and university heads during an open meeting at the Royal Police Academy.
He added that despite adopting the more people-friendly approach his ministry would not waver in its efforts to build a stronger, better-equipped police force to deter any threat against internal security.
Al-Zayani said the new strategy was based on a bi-polar approach, and that the ministry wanted to be transparent about the goals it seeks to achieve. “The first part of our strategy centers around developing, modernizing, and getting the community involved in efforts to combat crime,” he said. “The second part is to have a well-trained, highly qualified force to combat terrorism and maintain peace during national crisis”.
He emphasized that rapid response, efficiency, transparency, accountability, humane treatment and the involvement of others in policing were all key to the success of the new approach.
Al-Zayani, who saluted the headmasters and deans in attendance as a sign of respect for the role they play in the community, said the ministry believes that establishing bridges of understanding with them is key to the success of the program.
“They are vital because they help shape the minds of the youth,” he said. “This an effort to cooperate with each other to reach a common vision, and we cannot force anyone to cooperate to achieve that goal. It has to come from within”.
A total of 191 cadets — 152 male and 39 female — are expected to finish their six months training within five months becoming the first unit in the region to be trained in “community policing”.
