'Al Jazeera's claims on Priti Patel's Muharraq police visit misleading'

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The visit by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and her delegation to the Muharraq Police Directorate on December 6 was on the sidelines of her visit to Bahrain to participate in the "Manama Dialogue", the Ministry of Interior has said.

The ministry was keen to brief the British official on the most successful initiatives and on the outstanding programmes and security services in the field of policing, including those performed by the Muharraq Police Directorate through the Family Protection Office, its features and the cases it addresses to ensure the safety of women and children.

The visit also covered the directorate’s experience in the programmes and practices provided by the Community Police. The security and safety experiences are also used in the other police directorates across the country, the ministry said in a statement issued to clarify facts to the public following misleading media reports.

The ministry stressed that relations between Bahrain and the United Kingdom are deep-rooted, extending for more than 200 years, and based on clarity and transparency.

Regional stability requires continued close cooperation on common security and counterterrorism as well as working closely with UK law enforcement agencies to ensure the security, safety and prosperity of the two peoples, the statement added.

The allegations made by Qatar's Al Jazeera channel about the visit are unfounded, the ministry said and expressed shock over the misleading media campaign that has intensified recently and aims to undermine Bahrain's human rights reputation and achievements and to harm the distinguished relations with the United Kingdom. The statement wondered about the real reasons behind the misleading campaign.