ABU DHABI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Dubai police said full-body security scanners will not be used at the sheikdom's airports as the devices do not correspond with national customs and ethics, a local daily of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported Tuesday.
"I do not feel that it is necessary for us to implement such a technology while we are operating different methods and have different avenues that have worked so far," Ahmed bin Thani, the Dubai police's director of airport security, was quoted as saying by The National.
"The use of such a device violates personal privacy and it raises a very sensitive issue for passengers, in addition to the fact that it does not comply to our national ethics," he said.
Bin Thani said security measures in place in Dubai were sufficient to keep millions of travellers safe, adding that the scanning technology is not required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
"The acquisition of such devices is based on the decision of every member state of the ICAO and is not a mandatory measure instructed by them," he said.
Some 3,700 people have been trained to deal with security threats and public order at Dubai's airports, the official said.
Omar al Amri, the Dubai police's deputy director of airport security, said Dubai International Airport, which has more than 3, 200 operational security cameras in its three terminals, is also looking into the possibility of introducing face-recognition technology to enhance safety.
Dubai's airports are expected to process 46 million passengers this year, compared with 40 million last year, after the opening of Al Maktoum International Airport last month. Security personnel have been kept busy, dealing with 732 criminal cases so far this year, compared to 1,382 in all of last year, according to The National.
