Yaakov Shabtai on Sunday became the first Israeli police chief to visit the United Arab Emirates.
During his visit, Shabtai is scheduled to meet with senior officials from the UAE Interior Ministry, the police chiefs of Abu Dhabi and Dubai and other senior officials, according to an Israel Police statement.
The aim of the trip, which will last several days, is to build a professional relationship between the two countries’ police forces and open an official channel of communication between them, according to the statement.
As part of that effort, Shabtai intends to appoint a representative of the Israel Police in the UAE, who will “coordinate police activities in the Emirates, Africa and the Middle East.”
Shabtai’s visit comes only a week after a trip to the UAE by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and less than a week after Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz traveled to Bahrain.