Emirati women at Dubai Police K9 Unit are taking on specialised security roles, from training and handling police dogs to supporting major security operations, while veterinary teams keep the dogs mission-ready.

At Dubai Police's K9 Unit, Emirati women are playing specialised roles ranging from training and handling police dogs to supporting major security operations by ensuring the animals remain healthy and mission-ready.

Corporal First Class Rawdah Abdullah Salem Obaid, Assistant Trainer at the Security Inspection Department's K9 Unit, said that some of her most memorable experiences have come through assignments involving major events.

She helped secure COP19, the 19th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where the K9 team provided security support at one of the major international conferences hosted in the UAE.

"We secured the event by maintaining a security presence and helping ensure the safety of the event and those attending," she told Khaleej Times.

The work has also extended beyond the UAE for female members of the K9 team. While Obaid herself has not participated in an overseas assignment, she said female colleagues have represented the UAE in missions in France and Morocco.

In France, the team helped secure major events, including securing venues and supporting crowd safety. In Morocco, female K9 personnel participated in missions involving searches for missing people.

(Source: Khaleej Times)