Saturday 21 / September / 2024
Muscat: For a Khareef season free of accidents and obstacles, the efforts of the Royal Oman Police (ROP) have continued to ensure the safety of Khareef Dhofar visitors, according to an integrated plan for all sites.
The Dhofar Governorate Police Command has undertaken field supervision of police support and efforts during the Khareef Dhofar season, in addition to coordinating security and humanitarian work to achieve the highest levels of safety and direct response to all events.
Major Akef bin Muhammad Al-Rawas, Assistant Director of Dhofar Operations, stated: “With the increase in the number of visitors and tourists to the Dhofar Governorate during the Khareef season, the Royal Oman Police, in cooperation with the concerned authorities, has worked to provide all means and capabilities to create a tourism season free of accidents and obstacles, according to an integrated plan for all sites that includes publishing points, security and patrols on all tracks in order to respond quickly and provide assistance to those in need.
He added: "The Police Operations Department, led by the Dhofar Governorate Police, plays a tangible role in receiving various reports throughout the governorate to study the observations received, and evaluate them daily to find out the reasons for the recurrence of some of the reports in certain places. There is continuous coordination as well as meetings with all concerned government agencies to improve observations and try to find appropriate solutions.
Al-Rawas added: "Wadi Harit Police Station is a reception gate for visitors and gives advice and guidance to vehicle drivers to adhere to traffic safety standards while driving for Dhofar Governorate. It also works to facilitate traffic movement, which sometimes becomes dangerous due to lack of horizontal visibility as a result of thick fog, in addition to regulating vehicle movement with caution. This comes in the form of turning on directional lights, leaving sufficient safety distance, driving at low speeds, and instructions to not use mobile phones, as well as not having children lean out of the windows of the vehicle while it is driving, in order to ensure their safety.”
Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Shukaili, Director of the Salalah Traffic Department, said: “The concentration of traffic density in the governorate during the fall season is on the roads leading to tourist places and event sites, in the evening period. It is dealt with by intensifying patrols and deploying them on various roads to monitor and regulate traffic. With many reports, especially of accidents on the Aqabat Al-Yasmeen road, drivers are advised to use the left lane of the road leading to and from Salalah and leave the right lane for heavy trucks, as the road is vital and has a lot of commercial traffic, and the crossing of heavy trucks whose movement is slow, in addition to the decrease in horizontal visibility due to fog.
He noted that drivers who want to document their moments through social media platforms must stand outside the road during filming and shooting photos, in order to preserve their lives and the lives of others.
Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Al Shukaili also touched on some wrong behaviors from some people, such as showing off vehicles in green areas, stressing that the ROP dealt firmly with these behaviors.
Major Alawi bin Hafeez Al-Haddad, Director of the Coast Guard Police Department in Dhofar, referred to the efforts of the Coast Guard Police in the governorate through readiness to ensure the safety of visitors, provide advice and guidance to them, and intensify marine rescue patrols deployed at sites frequented by visitors, such as Al-Mughassil Beach, Al-Dahreez and Al-Haffa, to ensure a rapid and immediate response for all reports and incidents.
Captain Rashid bin Muhammad Al-Balushi, officer of the Aten Mobile Police Station, said: “The Aten Mobile Police Station provides comprehensive security coverage in the Aten area and secures visitors at the events held there, in addition to regulating traffic on the roads leading to the plain in cooperation with relevant authorities such as the Dhofar Municipality through continuous coordination. This centre is an extension of the rest of the security points located in the sites of events held within the Khareef Dhofar season.”
Captain Al-Balushi thanked all the visitors for their adherence, general commitment, and cooperation with the police, urging parents to monitor their children and follow their movements in order to avoid losing them or exposing them to danger, to stand in designated places, not to obstruct traffic, and to adhere to public safety requirements.
