From pulling over speeders to patrolling various areas of the city by foot, the Abu Dhabi Police are making great efforts to reach out to residents of the capital, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Written by: Laura Fulton

As a mother of boys, I’ve tried to instil in my children respect for policemen around the world. As a result, my two year old and four year old see all policemen as our friends and protectors, associating anyone in uniform with superheroes like Batman and the Power Rangers. Eager to wave and shake hands, my eager little sons have charmed cops from Boston to Melbourne to Malaysia.

A few days ago, we saw a red and white police SUV cruising in the lane beside us and as usual my children insisted we pull alongside so they could wave. When the officer driving the truck waved back, the children squealed and cheered. A few moments later, we found the police truck on the opposite side of our car. The children assumed the policemen had changed lanes for their personal benefit, so once again waved like it was Ironman driving alongside us.

When the police truck dropped behind me and started flashing his lights, indicating that I should pull over, I was more than a little surprised. I hadn’t been talking on the phone or speeding. We were all wearing seatbelts and I was sure I’d been observing all the road rules. All I could imagine was that I had a broken tail light or perhaps one of my tyres was going flat.

As it turns out, the policemen were merely showing my kids that cops really are The Good Guys. Once we were safely on the shoulder of the highway, the friendly officer shook the boys’ enthusiastic, outstretched hands through open windows. He asked their names and verified that nothing was amiss. When he further produced two chilled boxes of orange juice, the children were over the moon. An officer and a gentleman, he sent us on our way with a wave and continued respect for the men who are watching over all of us.

Thanks for that, ADP. Job well done.