MoI guidebook outlines procedures for handling abuse cases

The UAE Ministry of Interior has issued a guidebook outlining the standard operating procedures to be adopted when dealing with the elderly, children, people with special needs and women, in the evidence collection process performed by the police.

This step aims to unify procedures and mechanisms applied in dealing with cases of abuse against any of these groups, in the evidence collection process.

This would provide a set of unified standards and specifications and prevent any independent reasoning that may affect the course of investigations and the evidence collection process, or may cause abuse victims to experience severe psychological effects.

This statement was made by Brigadier Ahmed Mohammed Nehkairah Al Mahrami, Head of Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Interior during the opening ceremony of a workshop organised at the Police Officers Club to announce the launch of the guidebook.

Brigadier Al Mahrami stressed the keenness of the Ministry of Interior to see this guidebook become a clear reference for the required action to be adopted by people in charge of collecting evidence.

He also underscored the commitment of the ministry to standardise the procedures and methods of dealing with these cases that may face the elderly, the children, people with special needs and women.

Brigadier Al Mahrami emphasised that the guidebook respects the human, constitutional, and legal values.

It also grants legitimacy to the tasks undertaken by the Executive Authority, which requires police officers to take into account several considerations that are relevant to human rights and fundamental freedoms while carrying out their duties during the evidence collection process.

For his part, Colonel Mohammed Al Shehhi, Deputy Head of the Human Rights Department, gave a detailed explanation of the various steps that have been implemented to finalise and issue the guidebook.

He also highlighted the guidebook’s objectives and its importance in standardising procedures designed to dealing with these different social groups.

Colonel Al Shehhi also tackled the concept of evidence collection in law, the jurisdiction of judicial officers in the evidence collection process, the constitutional guarantees of the people involved at that particular stage, and the personal specifications and qualifications of people in charge of the interrogation rooms.

Moreover, Colonel Al Shehhi underlined the investigation procedures to be adopted when dealing with these groups, and the specifications and requirements for interrogation rooms.

At the end of the workshop, Colonel Mohammed Al Shehhi answered the questions and inquiries of the participants and collected their feedback and remarks, in order to elaborate practical recommendations to implement this guidebook on the ground.

The workshop was attended by representatives of the Police General Headquarters in charge of investigation at the Police stations, statutory and advisory bodies at the ministry, the Federal Community Police Department, Social Support Centers, the Law Respect Culture Bureau, the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centers, the Higher Committee for Child Protection, the Human Rights Committees and the Comprehensive Police Stations Committee.

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