Abu Dhabi, 17 February 2026 – Lieutenant General H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, honored the winners of the seventh edition of the Minister of Interior’s Excellence Award in a grand ceremony at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.
The prestigious event underscores the Ministry of Interior’s dedication to promoting institutional excellence, innovation, and high-quality security and community services across the UAE.
The ceremony was attended by top officials, including Counselor Saif Abdullah Al Shafar, Major General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili, Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Major General Ahmed Saif bin Zaitoun Al Muhairi, Major General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Major General Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Major General Salem Ali Mubarak Al Shamsi, commanders-in-chief of police across the UAE, members of the Permanent Higher Committee for Excellence and Leadership, and other senior Ministry personnel, as well as distinguished guests.
A total of 191 winners were recognized across 46 categories, alongside three recipients of the Community Service Medal. The categories spanned 28 institutional and police categories, 16 functional categories, and two community service categories, highlighting the award’s focus on institutional, individual, and community excellence.
Brigadier Dr. Faisal Sultan Al-Shuaibi, Director General of Strategy and Performance Development at the Ministry of Interior, said the award serves as a strategic platform for fostering innovation, enhancing human capabilities, and strengthening leadership and readiness in policing. He emphasized that the award aligns with the UAE government’s vision and reinforces the country’s global leadership in advanced security practices.
Dr. Al-Shuaibi detailed that the award’s evaluation system is based on clear criteria, strong governance, and rigorous assessments, combining desk reviews and field evaluations. The seventh edition saw participation from 436 files, evaluated by 26 expert security professionals from the UAE, the Netherlands, Egypt, Jordan, and Australia. Evaluators conducted 688 field visits, totaling 1,108.8 hours of assessment over six weeks, ensuring fairness, transparency, and credibility.
The latest edition introduced new award categories to reflect the Ministry’s strategic priorities, including promising leaders, people of determination, and police scholarship recipients, as well as best community initiative and best police practice awards to encourage innovation and national talent.
Dr. Al-Shuaibi affirmed that the Ministry of Interior continues to enhance the award system and criteria to keep pace with rapid government transformations, raise the standard of security and community services, and maintain the UAE’s position as a global benchmark for excellence.
