Opinion

Security operations in the Kingdom — a reassuring visit

December 01, 2020

Noor A. AlNaboud



I was honored to be approached by the Ministry of Interior to visit the Unified Security Operations Center (911), a subordinate of the National Center for Security Operations (NCSO), in Riyadh last week for which I was grateful to the ministry.

During my visit, I was able to see the facilities of the center and the excellent people who work for it with an extraordinary level of professionalism and experience.

As part of my visit to the center, I realized that it plays a very huge role in the security field in Saudi Arabia, serving six sectors (Special Forces for Environment Security, Traffic, Security Patrols, Civil Defence and Special forces for Road and Police) and collaborating with different governmental agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Saudi Red Crescent Authority, National Water Company, Saudi Electricity Company, Ministry of Transport and also Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

I found out that the Unified Security Operations Center (911) in the Riyadh region serves 22 counties and districts and Riyadh City, catering to more than 8 million citizens and residents. It has centralized 62 operations rooms under one roof using a unified emergency number (911), which improves the quality and the efficiency of responses to emergency calls. All these operations rooms are manned by 911 representatives from the security and support service sectors inside the Kingdom, as they are the key and focal points of communications in 911.

I was actually proud to see the center following international standards with Saudis manpower, which is in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The center offers good opportunities to young Saudis to contribute to achieving our leadership’s vision. I was also happy to see Saudi women playing essential roles inside the organization in all aspects and positions.



Undoubtedly, 911 represents a positive change at the security level in Saudi Arabia, as I came to know that all the staff were trained well by certified trainers inside and outside the Kingdom. They are regularly updated about everything related to their field and they are provided with all the support they need.

The visit gave me a positive feeling about the continued growth in the Kingdom amid peace and stability. I truly believe we are living in a great country.

I just wanted to say that I admired the center’s work and the professionalism and standards that give us peace, comfort and immediate solutions to our security woes. I was impressed to see how easily accessible the system was for all of us.

Certainly, with God’s grace, Saudi Arabia has leadership skills and strong systems in all fields, including communication economy and technology and security.

— The writer can be reached on Twitter: @moionlynoor


December 01, 2020
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