Dubai: Sheikha Salama bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was presented with Dubai Police’s ‘Shield of Happiness’ in recognition of her contributions to advancing the operations of the K9 Security Inspection Department.
The shield was presented during the inauguration ceremony of the K9 Conference, organised as part of the third edition of the World Police Summit held from March 5 to 7. The event was attended by Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, officers from various police forces, and experts in the field.
Sheikha Salama’s has supported the K9 Security Inspection Department of Dubai Police in obtaining rare police dog breeds for specialised security operations and helped boost Dubai Police’s capabilities with over 1,900 hours of advanced joint training for handlers and dogs in collaboration with Sahara Kennel. This has helped the department enhance its operational efficiency, police said.
At the conference, Major Salah Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Director of the K9 Security Inspection Department at Dubai Police, had highlighted the focus on the challenges of employing police dogs in search and rescue operations during natural and humanitarian disasters.
The event also discussed factors impacting dogs’ stability and stress management, surgical interventions, recent advancements in explosive detection training, nutritional needs for working dogs, and improvements in the care of police dogs.
The 2024 conference featured discussions on the health and readiness of police dogs and the presentation of over 10 specialised papers by international police force experts. It also explored innovative approaches for deploying police dogs to address 21st century security challenges.
The K9 conference discussed the latest practices in search and rescue, featuring speakers such as Alois Balog, President of the International Search and Rescue Organisation, and Dr Alexander Honel, Vice President of Deployment at the International Association for Rescue Dogs.
