Dubai Police Search & Rescue teams carried out 5,200 missions in the first 10 months of 2025 and cut average land-incident response time to 5.8 minutes, beating the strategic target of 6.6 minutes and marking a steady improvement from 6.8 minutes in 2023 and 6.2 minutes in 2024.
5,200 rescues in 10 months
Dubai Police have achieved unprecedented success in emergency response, setting new benchmarks for global safety forces. Recent figures confirm a dramatic improvement in speed, ensuring patrols and rescue teams reach critical incidents faster than ever before.For critical emergencies, the average response time recorded in the third quarter of this year was an impressive two minutes and seven seconds (2:07). This achievement highlights a continuous improvement compared to the previous year, securing Dubai’s reputation for exceptional rapid response. Officials say the gains come from a combination of upgraded readiness, smarter resource allocation and new equipment. During an inspection, Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, reviewed smart support systems that help dispatch the right units quickly, dedicated vehicle fleets for field and specialised tasks, and closer coordination with the Air Wing.The specialized Search and Rescue teams have also significantly cut their time on the ground. Response times for land-based incidents now average just 5.8 minutes, successfully beating the annual operational target of 6.6 minutes. This represents an improvement of over 14% in readiness across just three years, demonstrating operational excellence is the force’s top priority.
Drones and hyper-efficient operations
This remarkable speed is directly powered by smart technology embedded within the General Department of Operations. The Command and Control Centre is the nerve center, demonstrating efficiency even before the teams are dispatched.Key Call Centre Statistics:
- Total Calls: The emergency hotline (999) handled over 7.3 million calls last year.
- Answering Speed: In the third quarter of this year, 99.3% of all emergency calls were successfully answered within a mere 10 seconds.
The use of autonomous technology is also revolutionizing field response. The innovative Drone Box system has become a game-changer, facilitating approximately 3,000 transfers last year. In scenarios classified as “very urgent,” the drones achieved an astonishing average response time of just 57 seconds, far surpassing the target of 2 minutes and 45 seconds.This pioneering drone system has garnered international recognition, including the prestigious Edison Award for Autonomous Security Solutions. Dubai Police is currently working toward achieving full drone coverage across the entire emirate by 2028.
Missions across the city
The speed and technology directly translate into impactful operations protecting lives and property. In the first ten months of this year, the Search and Rescue teams executed more than 5,200 missions.These high-volume rescues cover a wide spectrum of emergencies across all terrains, urban, coastal, and mountainous, and include:
- Response to serious traffic accidents.
- Handling fire incidents and falls.
- Assistance in entrapment cases (e.g., individuals stuck in homes, vehicles, and elevators).
This constant high-level performance underscores the department’s role as the “first line of defense,” a commitment emphasized by Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, during recent operational reviews.Dubai’s rescue teams say the numbers reflect people, planning and technology working together, and residents are the clear beneficiaries. As the force rolls out more data-driven systems and greener vehicles, expect response times to stay a top performance measure for Dubai’s emergency services.
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