Officials said UAE police have expanded programs to introduce Western
and other languages for officers at airports, police stations and community
patrols. They said the law enforcement community would be required to deal
with the new communities of Chinese and Russian expatriates.
"There are various divisions that require language courses for their
staff, like the Criminal Investigation Department, Corrections and
Reformation Centers, Immigration and Residency, airports and traffic
departments," Lt. Col. Thani Butti Al Shamsi, director of training at the
Abu Dhabi police, said.
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Until 2007, officials said, the UAE focused on English, required in
schools throughout the emirates. But over the last three years, more than
3,000 officers have been trained in a range of languages, including Chinese,
French, German, Japanese and Russian. In 2009 alone, 465 police officers
attended language training courses.
"For instance, the policemen at a prison center have to have some
knowledge of certain languages to facilitate their work in explaining rules
and regulations to the inmates, and also to understand conversations between
an inmate and others speaking the same language," Al Shamsi said.
Officials said foreign language skills would enhance police capabilities
in law enforcement and counter-insurgency. They said this would also reduce
dependency on interpreters.