More than 630 specialist exhibitors from 49 countries supported by over 40 of the world’s leading experts on police, fire, commercial security, safety and health issues gather in Dubai from today until Tuesday. Taking place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center, Intersec Middle East will be officially opened by HE Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander in Chief Dubai Police.
According to the organisers of Intersec Middle East, Messe Frankfurt, the event has grown substantially over the years to become one of the largest international trade fairs representing the industry. Mrs. Imke Cochran, Group Exhibitions Manager of Messe Frankfurt in Dubai said that “we have seen an increase of 54% from the previous year. The event offers excellent networking opportunities with some of the world’s most prominent authorities on all aspects of police, homeland security, fire prevention and fighting, safety and health and commercial security. The growth is a function of the dynamics of the region as well as the ongoing support we have from the UAE government, the Dubai Police, the UAE Civil Defence, and more recently from the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health.”
One of the key aspects of Intersec Middle East is the extensive programme of conferences and seminars. These feature presentations from both international and regional experts. Today’s keynote presentations are by Brigadier Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi, Head of Dubai Civil Defence, Dr Guido Bertolaso, Head of the Italian Department of Civil Protection, Lord MacKenzie of Framwellgate OBE, Police Advisor to the UK Government, and Lisa Fowlie of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.
The themes for the following days focus on the individual aspects of the sector. These include the Middle East Police Conference on Monday, featuring globally renown experts such as Alan Matthews, International Director, UK Forensic Science Service, Jamie Stephen, Chief Superintendent, Head of Diplomatic Protection Group, London’s Metropolitan Police and Phil Swinburne, former Head of Scotland Yard Computer Crime Unit.
Running parallel on Monday is the Middle East Fire Conference led by Brigadier Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi, and featuring presentations from Sir Ken Knight CBE, Commissioner, London Fire Brigade, Charles Man-Chun Chu, Chief Officer - Hong Kong Fire Services, and Mohammed Saif Bufaroosha, Student Officer Dubai Civil Defence.
The final day of Intersec Middle East, Tuesday, focuses on one of the hottest topics in the region - the crucial issue of safety and health. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, an international non-government organisation with over 30,000 members worldwide, have recently formed a Middle East branch and will present their first conference in the Gulf on Tuesday. Featuring a keynote address from Lisa Fowlie, the conference programme includes specialists such as Geoff Taylor Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Dry Docks, Alawi Shubber Managing Director, Occupational Safety and Health Center of Bahrain, and Mr. Wajdi Al Sadat , Risk Assessment Engineer, Saudi Aramco.
In addition to the four main areas covered through the conference programme, Intersec Middle East’s huge exhibition presents specific zones covering Police, Fire, Commercial Security and Safety and Health.
National groups are a major feature of Intersec Middle East with 16 pavilions from countries such as diverse as Canada, Austria, the USA, UK , Italy, Germany, Turkey, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The reach of Intersec Middle East also extends through the Gulf area with numerous visitors arriving for the event from Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries. The show is expected to attract more than 12,000 visitors during the three day event.
