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| HE the Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and the UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al-Nahyan inaugurating Milipol Qatar 2012 exhibition yesterday as Milipol Qatar committee president Brigadier Nasser bin Fahad al-Thani, committee member Brigadier Saud Rashid al-Shafi and other officials look on. PICTURE: Shaji |
The ninth international exhibition of internal state security, Milipol Qatar 2012, being held under the auspices of HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, was inaugurated by HE the Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and the UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al-Nahyan at the Doha Exhibition Centre yesterday.
HE the Chief of Staff of Qatar Armed Forces Major General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah, Sudanese Interior Minister Ibrahim Hamid, Belarusian Interior Minister Major General Igor Shunevich, Commander and Director of French Gendarmerie Jacques Mignaux, Palestinian Interior Minister Dr Saeed Abdul Rahman Abu Ali, Secretary General of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers Dr Mohamed bin Ali Kooman, Los Angeles Sheriff Lary Becca and a number of security officials from different countries and representatives of regional and international security companies attended the inauguration ceremony.
The event organised by the Ministry of Interior is featuring some 265 companies from 38 countries. Eleven countries are participating for the first time. They are Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan and South Korea.
“This year’s event has become really bigger and different from the previous ones because there are more exhibitors and the event has also become more significant for the country as some of the companies are showcasing latest technologies in the field of security,” HE Sheikh Abdullah al-Thani said after the opening.
Being showcased at Qatar Ministry of Interior pavilion are latest gadgets used for crime busting, information retrieval and for making fingerprinting.
“We have just acquired the latest machine called ‘TFD2 - Crime Lite VB’ fitted with up-to-date technologies being used to enhance fingerprint development. It makes finger printing easier on any document without defacing the paper as there will be no stain on it,” said Lt Hassan Ibrahim al-Mannai – a crime scene officer at the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Public Security Criminal Evidences and Information department.
The department has also recently acquired a panorama camera, which can be used to snap objects and any other still images at 360 degrees.
“The panorama camera is essentially being used during investigation at crime scenes and during other normal activities to capture pictures, especially outdoors such as in a stadium,” he explained.
A new addition is also the biometric digital forensic machine –British-made Mida S R3X – best for downloading data from the surveillance camera (CCTVs).
“We use the biometric machine to copy information from the hard disc of the CCTV to acquire all the images on it without damaging the content of the original images,” Lt al-Mannai maintained.
The Ministry of Interior is also showcasing a set of software and hardware packages used to recover lost data from a locked mobile or computer. It can also be used to unlock the device.
“This is a UFED package developed by Celprite. What we do is just insert the mobile into the hand-held machine and download the information on a USB flash thus recovering the data,” an official explained.
With the objective of becoming a paperless ministry, one of the other popular services by the MoI being featured at Milipol Qatar 2012 include a set of new self-services – Metrash 2- launched last December to create easy access for people into its services via their iOS devices such as iPad, iPhone and other smartphones.
“To make it easy for residents to avail our services on their different mobile platforms, we have launched these self-services for their convenience,” Ministry of Interior Information Systems Department assistant director Colonel Abdulrahman Ali al-Malki told mediapersons.
The Metrash 2 services save maximum time and effort for subscribers who are able to perform many transactions related to residence permits, visa services, traffic services and exit permit and electronic gate service at their fingertips.
“All that is needed to avail this service is to apply for a smart identity card at any Ministry of Interior self-service kiosk available in several locations. The list of self-service kiosk locations can be found at www.moi.gov.qa,” he added.