MEPOL - the Middle East's first dedicated internal state security event to be held at Expo Centre Sharjah

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Deputy Ruler and Crown Prince of Sharjah, the show is organised by Expo Centre Sharjah in co-operation with GPEC (General Police Exhibition & Conference), a specialized exhibition for police and special equipment organised by EMW Exhibition & Marketing GmbH, Germany. EMW has over 10 years experience in organising events for security, defence, law enforcement and civil defence in Europe.

The event will be a meeting point for the region's security and law enforcement agencies with international manufacturers and suppliers of cutting-edge technologies and products, enabling public and industrial security decision makers to stay ahead of a rapidly developing market.

Supported by UAE's Ministry of Interior and UAE's Federation of Chambers of Commerce, the show will be held in a quasi-confidential setting, with admission strictly restricted to authorised decision makers from government departments only.

" The recent global and regional events," said Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of Expo Centre Sharjah, "have substantially increased the need of the Middle Eastern countries to acquire latest research, engineering and security equipment and to develop the security infrastructure for the protection of people and property.

"MEPOL," he continued, "has been conceived and positioned to address and meet the growing needs and challenges facing the region's related government departments in areas such as:

• The fight against drugs and illegal immigration
• The fight against terrorism
• The fight against organised crime
• Suppression of financial offences
• Prevention of economic and industrial espionage
• Security of land and sea borders
• Security of sensitive sites, including oil and gas plants
• VIP protection
• Civil Defence

"Our aim is to bring in a wide range of equipment that these departments, including law enforcement and security agencies charged with the job of protecting people and property can assess in a privileged, closed door environment," he concluded.

The exhibition will showcase the latest technologies and services in a wide range of security related sectors, including consultancy, education and training services; command, control, communication and information systems; criminal investigation; protection, observation and surveillance technologies and forensic science.

It will also feature state-of-the-art radio telecommunications apparatus; debugging and sweeping systems; surveillance and access control technologies; secure computer communications solutions; traffic control and road safety products; riot control tools and NBC, drugs, metal, explosive and mine detection and clearance equipment.

"With the need to protect and maintain life and property dramatically increasing on all fronts," said Dr. Uwe H Wehrstedt, CEO of EMW and organizer of GPEC, "the Middle East is fast emerging as an important market for the security industry and I anticipate that between 250 and 300 international companies will want to participate in MEPOL 2005.

"Among the organisations invited to participate are Interpol and Europol with globally respected speakers for the associated conference and seminars programme. Critical issues to be addressed include the fight against terrorism, drug smuggling and financial and computer related crime," he ended.