BAHRAIN : Interior Minister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Civil Defence Council, today visited the General Directorate of Civil Defence, in recognition of its role in protecting lives and property, as well as in reinforcing the general safety of citizens and residents.The Interior Minister hailed the support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the development and modernisation of the Interior Ministry and the launch of the general safety initiatives and programmes. He appreciated the Civil Defence efforts and professionalism through its officers, commissioned officers and other ranks. He asserted the importance of reviewing procedures periodically and moving forward in reinforcing precautionary measures for civil protection and evaluating preparedness in dealing with potential risks. He directed police personnel who joined the civil defence recently to carry on their efforts by being committed to swift response and professional dealing with accidents within the plans and procedures.The Interior Minister inspected the new civil defence fleet capable of achieving swift response principles and professionalism. The fleet is equipped with the latest technology, making it an added value in reinforcing security and safety procedures.The Director-General of Civil Defence, Brigadier Ali Al Kubaisi, hailed the support of the Interior Minister and the follow-up of the Chief of Public Security for the civil defence plan and procedures. He indicated that upgrading the technical fleet and civil defence vehicles is a positive reflection of achieving the swift response principles.He said that the General Directorate of Civil Defence would have an active role in the volunteering project, highlighting the vital role of civil defence in dealing with disasters.The Interior Minister was briefed about the National Civil Protection Platform and its awareness topics. Then, he launched the platform, asserting that the community partnership has become a civilised reality in the constructive, prosperous and stable system of the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of HM the King and follow-up of the government, led by HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.He added that within the integrated national efforts for a secure community based on awareness, the National Civil Protection Platform was launched, to which anyone can have access to, being a national project aimed at enhancing public safety, pointing out that the platform allows citizens to have access to information that concerns their safety, in a modern way and works to enhance the security culture in society by employing modern technologies. “It is the platform’s first phase, and it would be developed continuously. It is an interactive platform that aims to educate and raise civil protection awareness of the community,” he said, pointing out that protecting public safety requires an individual to have the basic knowledge and skills necessary to act immediately to help the working teams through constructive community participation.In the same context, the Interior Minister announced the launch of the Volunteering Project for the Civil Defence to promote community partnership.The project aims to prepare the volunteers and enhance safety and preventive awareness among members of the Bahraini society. Volunteers are selected according to specific requirements and classified into two categories: general volunteers and specialised volunteers. Then, they are trained to integrate into work gradually.
Source : Manama, Nov. 3 (BNA)
