Over 3,000 policemen to secure New Year celebrations

Somaya Saad, Staff Reporter

Major General Abdullah Al Ghaithi, Director of the General Department of Organization Protective Security and Emergency at the Dubai Police has revealed that 3,000 policemen will secure the New Year’s celebrations in Dubai that will take place in 25 sites with fireworks and light shows.

Sponsored by Emaar, the fireworks shows will start at 11:57pm on Tuesday and continue for 5 minutes, other 40 bodies will take part in the celebrations, Al Ghaithi added.

This came during the press conference held by the GHQ of the Dubai Police on Sunday to announce the plans to secure the New Year’s celebrations.

Major General Al Ghaithi called on members of the society to cooperate with the police and adhere to traffic instructions to avoid crowds, and to contact the Dubai Police for urgent reports on 999 and for non-emergency reports on 901, or to walk to the sites where policemen are present.

He also noted that a number of supply camps would be provided in downtown, in order to provide special services for lost and finds, to provide first aid services, to provide logistical support, other services such as receiving lost children and providing care for them, and to help guide visitors.

He pointed out that the Events Securing Committee has specified the paths of public access to the Burj Khalifa area from the metro stations.

There will be three paths, the first is from the Burj Khalifa station, which will be divided into two tracks, one will be for families to the area of the island park and the area behind the “Burj view,” while the other track will be for bachelors to head to the “South Ridge” area that is designated for watching fireworks, Al Ghaithi added.

The second path will be from the Dubai Financial Centre station, where a track will be allocated for families heading to the Boulevard area, while another track will be allocated for bachelors in the South Edge. The third path will be allocated for those coming from the Business Bay Station.

Al Ghaithi further explained that an integrated plan has been prepared to allow people willing to reach the fireworks areas from the metro stations with emergency exits.

For his part, Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi said a plan has been developed to secure the 25 sites of celebrations with participation of more than 600 people, in addition to 21 station and 70 firefighting vehicles.

Khalifa Bin Dray said that a field hospital and 212 ambulance tools, including motorcycles and bicycles would be provided during the New Year’s celebrations, in addition to 15 ambulances vehicles to be deployed at the celebrations site with 80 paramedics.

There will be a coordination with the Dubai Health Authority and all hospitals to prepare for any emergency with provision of the marine aid for the first time in the Burj Al Arab area, he added.

Eng. Maitha Bin Oudi has said that the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) through the traffic management team in direct coordination with the Committee for Securing Events in Dubai and Emaar, has completed its preparations to manage the traffic movement for New Year’s celebrations within a strict traffic plan, particularly in the Burj Khalifa area.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard will be closed from 4:00pm.

In this regard, Bin Oudi urged audience who have reservations in the Boulevard area or in the Dubai Mall to be present before 4:00pm.

The Financial Centre Street and Sukuk Street will also be closed starting from 6:00pm, while Al Asayel Street (from Oud Maitha Street to Al Maidan Street) will be closed from 4:00pm, which will be used as a path for public transportation and emergency vehicles.

Al Saada Street will be closed gradually between the two intersections of Al Midan Street and Zabeel Second Street between 6:00pm and 8:00pm, to continue closed until the end of the celebrations.

She also noted that the Burj Khalifa metro station would be closed at 10:00 pm until 6 am, while a designated pedestrian crossing lines will be provided on Sheikh Zayed Road near Burj Khalifa Metro Station, under the supervision of police and operational team of the RTA, to allow people cross Sheikh Zayed Road safely and to avoid accidents.

She also indicated that 210 buses would be operated to transport visitors from the celebrations area to outside, specifically to metro stations, to facilitate the exit process, noting that those buses will be free to the public within the specified tracks.

The Red Line of Dubai Metro will be in operation from 05:00 am on Tuesday 31/12/2019 to 00:00 (midnight) of Wednesday 01/01/2020. The Green Line will start service at 05:30 am on Tuesday 31/12/2019 to 00:00 (midnight) of Wednesday 01/01/2020. Dubai Tram will be in service from 06:00 am on Tuesday 31/12/2019 to 01:00 am of Thursday 02/01/2020.

At Main stations, such as Gold Souq, buses will start service on Wednesday 01/01/2020 from 04:25 am to 00:59 am (past midnight), and at Ghubaiba from 04:14 am to 00:58 am (past midnight). At subsidiary stations, such as Satwa, buses will operate from 04:45 am to 11:03 pm, except for Route C01, which will be running around-the-clock. At Al Qusais, the bus service timing will be from 04:31 am to 00:08 am (past midnight), at Al Quoz Industrial Station from 05:05 am to 11:35 pm, and at Jebel Ali Station from 04:58 am to 11:30 pm.

Metro link buses at Rashidiya, Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta, Burj Khalifa, Abu Hail and Etisalat Stations will be in service on the holiday from 05:00 am to 01:10 am (of the following day). The timing of metro link service goes with the timetable of the metro service.

Intercity bus service and commercial buses will be running round-the-clock from Al Ghubaiba to Al Jubail Station, Sharjah, and from 04:36 am to 00:01 am (past midnight) to Abu Dhabi.