An expert has urged stronger co-ordinated border management to reinforce national security in the UAE.

Ahmed Mehboob Musabih, director of Dubai Customs, stressed the need for more interagency government collaboration to ensure the safety, security and health of society against growing threats.

“The protection of national security in the Middle East against cross-border threats is today even more important, given the increasing challenges faced by the countries of the region,” said Musabih.

“It is therefore extremely crucial to step up government coordination on the national, regional and international levels to safeguard and promote the security of our peoples and nations. This is a huge responsibility on our shoulders, and we at Dubai Customs are committed to efficiently perform our duty in ensuring security against the dangers of  illegitimate trade while at same time fostering the facilitation of legitimate trading. To that end, we have established strong partnerships with security stakeholders in the UAE and across the region and the world,” he said.

Musabih was speaking at the National Security Middle East Summit which opened yesterday (March 30) at Grand Park Hotel – Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi.

Under the theme ‘Next Generation Security Solutions for Ever Evolving Threats’, the three-day meeting was organised by the International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC), bringing together a host of local, regional and international officials and experts to explore innovative ways to strengthening security operations in the Middle East.

The summit provides an interactive platform for local governments, police and industry leaders to address the urgent challenges relating to national security.

Meanwhile, Musabih won the ‘Outstanding Excellence in Customs and Border Security’ recognition award from the director of IQPC Michael Champion, as part of the International Awards ceremony presented by IQPC Defence IQ – a military news and research online portal – together with the international advisory committee to recognise law enforcement and government professionals who have demonstrated a long career dedicated to public sector excellence with real contribution towards promoting national security.

“In order to protect the great achievements attained by the United Arab Emirates in such record time, we all need to leverage our performance pursuing the ingenious vision of our wise leadership which entices us to be more innovative in formulating effective solutions that can increase our capacity to better assume our role as protector of society and enabler of economic growth and prosperity to ultimately bring happiness and wellbeing to the people of this country,” said Musabih.

He underscored that national security issues should be dealt with without compromising economic interests of the country.

“Transnational threats to national security such as terrorism, organized crime, human trafficking, smuggling, illicit trade and more pose a real challenge for law enforcement agencies at borders. But with a concerted approach that challenge can be turned into an opportunity,” he said.

“We have set our plans and work strategies to fit in with the UAE vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021, and meet the aspirations of our wise leadership for the upcoming years. One of these aspirations is for the UAE to become among the safest nations worldwide by the year 2021,” said Musabih.

He believes that it not easy for any customs to deal with such pressing movements of goods and people.

“Nonetheless, Dubai Customs managed to do so by effective integration of modern information technology and smart technology solutions in its business processes in order to enhance our day-to-day customs operations, particularly in relation to border management and supply chain security,” he said.

In this regard, Dubai Customs has developed a state-of-the-art risk assessment system known as the ‘Risk Engine,’ which is tasked with identifying and evaluating potential risks in commercial consignments prior to arrival.

“The system resulted in 84 per cent of unsuspicious or non-risky consignments being assessed and cleared electronically in less than two minutes, without any human intervention. All other risky consignments that are suspected to pose threats to national security would be closely monitored throughout their shipping route from the port of origin to the port of destination,” said Musabih.

He also highlighted the new advanced X-ray container scanning system and device which was introduced by DC and is at the moment fully operated in Jebel Ali Port, with a double  purpose of expediting screening and inspection processes and streamlining cargo throughput, while at the same time raising up security levels and enhancing the protection of our national economy and community. - TradeArabia News Service