Sharjah Ruler issues police, security reorganisation law

   His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, issued on Thursday a law on reorganising the police and security force in the Emirate of Sharjah.

The law stipulates that the force shall consist of regular bodies, with the ruler as its supreme head, and shall consist of:

1- Military personnel (officers, non-commissioned officers and individuals). 

2- Civilian employees. 

The force member shall be subject to the legislation in force in the emirate, and each regular body shall have its own flag and logo. 

According to the law, the force aims to achieve the following: 

1. Maintaining public security, public order and public morals, and providing reassurance to all members of society in the emirate.

2. Protecting lives, honour, money, property, vital facilities and public utilities in the emirate.

3. Promoting and spreading the culture of respect for the law among members of society. 

4. Activating the community role to work on preventing crime and reducing its risks.

The law also stipulated that the force shall exercise the following powers in order to achieve its objectives:

1. Combating crimes, preventing their occurrence and arresting their perpetrators in accordance with the procedures and legislation in force in the emirate.

2. Regulating traffic rules in accordance with the legislation in force in the emirate.

3. Raising awareness among community members of the importance of respecting and adhering to legislation and public order. 

4. Implementing laws, regulations, decisions, systems, instructions and procedures to be implemented by the force. 

5. Any other powers assigned to the force by the Ruler or the Executive Council. 

The law also includes the military ranks of the force members, which are as follows: 

First: Officers: 

1. Lieutenant. 

2. First Lieutenant. 

3. Captain. 

4. Major. 

5. Lieutenant Colonel. 

6. Colonel. 

7. Brigadier General.

8. Major General.

9. Lieutenant General. 

10. Lieutenant General. 

Second: Officer's rank:

1. Sergeant. 

2. First Sergeant. 

3. Assistant. 

4. First Assistant. 

5. Senior Assistant. 

6. Chief Assistant. 

7. Assistant Officer. 

Third: Individuals:

1. New Policeman. 

2. Policeman. 

3. First Policeman. 

4. Corporal. 

5. First Corporal. 

The law regulates the military ranks of the force and its members with lower ranks are subject to those with higher ranks. If the ranks are equal, the one with the most recent rank is subject to the one with the most senior rank. 

According to the law, the president, who is defined by the law as the Commander-in-Chief or the director who manages any regular body subject to the provisions of the present law, shall manage the force in the regular body affiliated with him and shall be responsible for performing his duties, tasks and powers before the Ruler or whomever he delegates.

He shall have the right to exercise the powers and authorities necessary to manage its affairs and take the decisions necessary to achieve its objectives. He shall be responsible for the following in particular: 

1. Proposing the general policy and strategic plans necessary to achieve the objectives of the force and presenting them to the Executive Council for approval or taking the necessary action regarding them.

2. Proposing draft laws and decisions related to the objectives and competencies of the force and presenting them to the Executive Council to decide what it deems appropriate regarding them. 

3. Supervising the workflow of the force in accordance with the applicable legislation and regulations and issuing the necessary administrative decisions and following up on their implementation. 

4. Controlling and managing spending on the force from the budget approved by the government. 

5. Establishing organisational units for the force based on the approval of the ruler or his delegate. 

6. Forming permanent and temporary committees and work teams affiliated with the force and determining their competencies and work system.

7. Representing the force in the relevant committees and local, federal, regional and international meetings and in its communications and correspondence and in its relations with others and before the judiciary. 

8. Delegating some of his powers or competencies to senior leaders of the force members in accordance with the applicable legislation in the emirate. 

9. Any other tasks or competencies assigned to him by the Ruler or the Executive Council. 

The President shall determine, by a decision, the form of uniform and military rank insignia for members of the force in the regular body affiliated with him after the approval of the Governor or his delegate. 

The government shall bear the following:

1- Expenses of armament, clothing, transportation, equipment, subsistence and internal housing for those designated by a decision of the President.

2- Expenses of medical care for all members of the force. 

Military members of the force shall have the right to use force to the extent necessary to carry out those duties whenever necessary, and they shall have the right to carry the weapon entrusted to them by virtue of their position, and their use of weapons shall be limited to the following cases: 

1. Lawful self-defense, honour, or property, or the lives, honours, or property of others. 

2. Arresting any person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued if they resist or attempt to escape.

3. Arresting any person they have the authority to arrest under applicable legislation if they resist or attempt to escape. 

4. Arresting any prisoner if they resist or attempt to escape. 

5. Disperse any unlawful gathering if its purpose is to commit a crime or is likely to endanger public security or public order, if the gathering does not comply after being warned by all possible means, provided that the order to shoot is issued by an authorised person. 

According to the law, the use of firearms in the cases stipulated in Article (9) of the present law requires the following: 

1. Shooting should be the only means to avert danger after verifying its occurrence, and with the intention of disabling the person against whom this weapon is directed from attacking or resisting, and should be necessary and proportionate to the danger according to the assessment of the course of events.

2. There is no other means or method to address the situation being faced.

3. Start by warning by shooting, then shoot in the air whenever possible. 

4. Taking into consideration not to aim at a non-lethal target in order to control and arrest the wanted person. 

5. Do not resort to aiming at a lethal target unless the situation is such that there is a fear of death or serious injuries, and there are reasonable grounds for this fear. 

The law also stipulated that: 

1- In compliance with Federal Decree-Law No. (38) of 2022, judicial police officers in their jurisdictions shall include police officers, non-commissioned officers and personnel with respect to crimes that occur within their jurisdictions and are related to their job duties. 

2- By a decision of the President of the Judicial Council in the Emirate, members of the force other than those mentioned in Clause (1) of the Article may be granted the status of judicial police officers with respect to crimes that occur within their jurisdictions and shall be related to their job duties in accordance with the laws in force in this regard.