New border security body for the UAE

New border security body for the UAE

A new body for border security in the United Arab Emirates had been established in Dubai, with the aim of enhancing coordination between its seven emirates. The Dubai Council for Border Crossing Points Security was set up under a decree issued in September by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE.

Anthony Cordesman, the emeritus chair in strategy at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, explained to Defence News the issues the UAE faces with border control. He said: “The UAE has seven emirates with seven overlapping border security structures, and the problem is that each of them has individual… forces and individual border controls over foreigners. The emirates that really have the most efficient systems are Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah.”

He confirmed that the new border security body has separate structures for Dubai, noting that, for example, Abu Dhabi is stricter when it comes to extremists or hard-liners, than Dubai.

In line with Vision 2030 – which has an ambition to produce half of its defence needs domestically – the Gulf state is also looking to increase its locally-made security systems.