Abu Dhabi Police General Command organized a virtual council in which emphasis was placed on role of around 40,000 volunteers who participated in the “We Are All Police” campaign. The Director of the Community Police Department in Abu Dhabi, Colonel Dr. Hammoud Al-Afari, confirmed in the virtual council “Community Collaboration in the Face of Corona”, that cooperation between state institutions and society in all the sectors is one of the prime reason that enabled the Emirate to successfully tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. He further lauded the notable role of volunteers and institutions in spreading awareness among public and educating them regarding the preventive and precautionary measures to help tackle the coronavirus infection spread.

Dr. Saif Darwish, a “We Are All Police” member said that total number of volunteers in the initiative has reached 51,000. Out of these 40,000 members participated in volunteering for the Covid-19 fight. They played an important role as first line defence along with relevant agencies. The work of volunteers included educating the public, distributing personal protection tools like masks, hand sanitizers, and others. Furthermore, they handled the entry of employees during worker checks in industrial areas, distributing around 4.5 million Iftar meals during last Ramadan, and also spreading awareness to about 850 thousand shoppers in shopping centers regarding the preventive measures.

Engineer Azza Suleiman, a former member of the Federal National Council said that four factors have contributed to the successful follow-up of work, in the government as well as private sector. It included the existence of a prominent infrastructure of essential and qualified cadres in various sectors; integrated efforts across the country, including innovative applications and platforms that enabled use of latest technologies; informed decisions; and the introduction of new, updated procedures in accordance with the changes occurring in society.

The Director of the Medical Services Department at Abu Dhabi Police, Colonel Thuraya Ali Al-Hashemi, stated that all initiatives are implemented along with strategic partners. Mobile clinic is the most prominent example of this collaboration that moves across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to conduct free Covid-19 tests. Organizing four blood donation campaigns also witnessed a major turnout. Also ensuring implementation of a plan for availing punitive and conventional facilities, as well as the implementation of “Safe Return to Schools” campaign.

The Director of the Medical Services Department at Abu Dhabi Police, Colonel Thuraya Ali Al-Hashemi said, “We focused on the categories of workers who mostly speak Urdu, by investing in human resources, to become fluent in the language through lectures first, and then allocating awareness lectures to the category of workers before returning to work. Large groups of them were covered, and educated on how to deal and act if any of them felt symptoms, which contributed to the complete delivery of information.”