Dubai Police Sets New Global Record in Obtaining Forensic Results Less Than 24 Hours
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, on Wednesday launched the Genome Centre at Dubai Police’s General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology.
This initiative strengthens Dubai Police’s leadership in the technological and scientific domains.
The centre is dedicated to supporting policing work by developing advanced tests in forensic identification, genetics and metagenomics.
The initiative is aligned with the UAE’s National Genomics Strategy aimed at establishing an integrated framework for genomic programmes and turning the country into a hub for research and innovation in the field.
This move places Dubai Police at the forefront of law enforcement agencies worldwide in terms of genomic science.
The launch took place during Sheikh Hamdan’s visit to the Dubai Police Officers Club, where he was received by Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police and senior officials.
During the visit, the Dubai Crown Prince reviewed the Genome Centre’s organisational structure, which features four main sections: Human Genome, Metagenome, Bioinformatics, and Biotechnology. The Human Genome section is responsible for analysing degraded samples to determine the genetic background of individuals and molecular autopsy testing.
The Metagenome section specialises in examining non-human and environmental samples to identify their species or strains. The Bioinformatics and Biotechnology sections are dedicated to using artificial intelligence to conduct statistical analysis of variants based on genomic data.
The new centre is supported by the force’s initiative to sponsor select employees and students for specialised education in genomics at prestigious international universities.
During the visit, Sheikh Hamdan was briefed on Dubai Police’s forensic entomology project, the first initiative of its kind in the Middle East to use a regional database in this field. The Dubai Crown Prince also examined the remarkable outcomes of using Dubai Police’s ‘Brain Fingerprint’ system to solve various criminal cases. The advanced system uses a specialised device to measure the brainwave activity of suspects when they are exposed to images associated with the crime scene or tools used in committing the crime.
