Marking a Milestone: 25 Years of Security and Stability Under HM The King's Reign

Throughout their long history, the Bahrain Police forces have entered the second century with only known language of achievement. Accomplishments witnessed by all and felt by every citizen and resident through the security and stability in the country due to the supreme royal support and the follow-up of the government headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Over the past quarter of a century, Bahrain’s security and stability system has witnessed a clear consolidation, reflected in society’s safety and reassurance. The crime rate has declined by 30% due to implementing the security strategy launched by His Excellency Minister of Interior General Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, who adopted community partnership as an approach and placed community security at the forefront.

Security accomplishments have continued through years of sincere national work and the introduction of a series of national plans and security projects. This is done through an advanced security approach that considers the development of human resources, the introduction of advanced technologies in all services, and the construction of modern security buildings to meet all needs.

The royal vision is the starting point for reinforcing citizens’ roles and moving forward through the thought of a wise leader who constantly works for the nation’s interests. Based on a royal order and Decree No. 69 of 2004, the Community Police was formed to develop police performance, enhance community confidence in the police and create a safe environment for prosperity and development. HE the Interior Minister ordered the executive procedures for forming the Community Police and marking March 18 each year as a day for community partnership and national belonging.

With an approach to being closer to people, the Community Police have paved the way for security projects and initiatives to fight and prevent crimes. The force was the beginning of a series of integrated security and social projects, including the summer camp of the Royal Academy of Police in 2009 as part of the National Plan to Promote the Spirit of Belonging to the Nation and Reinforce the Values of Nationalism (Bahrainouna). The community police led to the launch of the Maan (together) programme against violence and addiction in 2011 and the accreditation of Bahrain as the regional centre for the programme. HE the Interior Minister launched the peaceful coexistence and fighting extremism curriculum to enhance awareness of negative practices and protect youth from violence and addiction. The Programme succeeded in reducing the participants’ negative behaviours by 56%.

The National Ambulance is a leading security and health project by the Interior Minister. It has completed its first phase with 12 centres and three ambulance points. Work is underway to reduce the response time to 5 to 15 minutes and use artificial intelligence to enhance the project’s management. Air, sea and motorcycle ambulances are among the future projects.

The Child Protection in Cyberspace Unit was launched in December 2022 as part of many new projects to protect children from online risks.

Humanitarian and Human Rights Initiatives

The national alternative sentencing project and the open prisons programme realistically embody the human values and civilised principles of the royal visions. The project won the Arab Government Excellence Award for Community Development in 2024. In the same context, the Reformation and Rehabilitation Directorate was upgraded to a General Directorate. Six buildings were introduced, including four at the Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre in Jaw and two at the Detention Centre in the Dry Dock. The American Correctional Association accredited the General Directorate of Reformation and Rehabilitation after fulfilling the international quality standards. Notably, about 59,000 inmates were covered by the royal pardon from 2008 to July 2024, an indicator of the national approach to promoting human rights and protecting social cohesion. Meanwhile, 6,712 persons have benefited from the alternative sentencing project since its launch in 2018, while the number of beneficiaries of the “Fael Khair” initiative has exceeded 1,135 individuals.

Stability of Community Security Indicators

Given that security is based on community partnership, several indicators have emerged that confirm the stability of community security, as the Special Security Force has worked to develop performance in practical and training aspects and to create advanced training methods. Security readiness has recorded the highest rates of performance and response to cases, and police directorates have continued their security performance within the framework of maintaining security and public order and developing the services provided. For example, the Southern Governorate Police Directorate dealt with 14,959 cases from 1999 to 2023. The Family and Children Protection Offices at the police directorates promote community partnership by working toward family stability. The Police Aviation has been equipped with modern helicopters and advanced cameras to promote general safety, emergency and medical services and law enforcement.

In fighting drugs, there has been no increase in cases over the past three years, and the rate has stabilised at less than 3% compared to the rest of the criminal cases. From 2020 to 2023, a total of 3,197 kg of narcotics were seized from 3,407 cases, reflecting the effectiveness of the efforts made under the National Plan to Combat Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, of which its edition (2015/2022) achieved its goals by 97% by implementing 257 initiatives. The second edition is ongoing, with 24 government entities and national institutions participating.

An artificial intelligence project was launched to address drug addiction and narcotics crimes. It is a unique project in the Middle East and Arab world. This has strengthened the Interior Ministry’s status, which has won first place more than once in the best operational information cooperation category at the Arab level. At the same time, the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations and Forensic Science has handled many criminal cases.

In police projects and services, the Public Security Presidency works to achieve the Interior Ministry’s strategy through capability-building projects, readiness enhancement, digital transformation, and technical development. A total of 28 projects were introduced, 41 projects were developed, and work continues to implement 95 projects in the future. The Training Directorate organised around 6,832 training courses for 82,027 Interior Ministry affiliates from 2017 to 2024.