Al Murabba Police Museum opens in Al Ain

The first museum dedicated specifically to the history of the Abu Dhabi Police was inaugurated last night in Al Ain, as part of this year’s Al Murabba Heritage Festival.

The event coincided with the 50th anniversary of the graduation on 22nd February 1969 of the first class of students from the Abu Dhabi Police School, now renamed the Police College. The class was given the name of the ‘Zayed the First Squadron.’ The museum is housed in the former Al Murabba Police Station, adjacent to the Al Murabba Fort, which was built by the late Sheikh Zayed, Father of the Nation, in 1948.

It was inaugurated by Major Sheikh Zayed bin Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan and Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation. The event was also attended by a number of retired police officers, some who originally joined the force as much as 50 years ago.

“The late Sheikh Zayed gave orders many years ago that the Al Murabba Police Station should be converted into a museum, to record the history and development of the Abu Dhabi Police,” Major Sheikh Zayed told the Emirates News Agency, WAM.

“Following extensive research and collection of material, we are delighted that it is now open for the public to see.”

The museum includes sections on the evolution of police forces throughout history, beginning with those of Pharaonic Egypt and including those of the early Umayyad Muslim Caliphate and medieval France. It then traces the development of the Abu Dhabi Police since the force was first established by the late Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan in the late 1950s.

Among items on display are old photographs, uniforms and cap badges, along with guns and other equipment used by the police. Items used by the late Sheikh Zayed are also on display.

As part of the inauguration, visitors were treated to a review of the development of the force, staged by personnel in the uniforms in use at the time, including a reconstruction of the 1969 graduation of the Zayed the First Squadron and the introduction of the first female police officers, as well as a performance by the Abu Dhabi Police Band.

The Museum will be open daily from 0800 – 1400, except for Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays.