MoI: Al-Jazeera’s allegations about UK minister’s visit baseless, misleading

Manama, Dec. 27 (BNA): In light of the Interior Ministry’s commitment to providing the general public with factual clarifications and within the context of some media reports on the matter, the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain hereby confirms that the visit of the British Secretary of State for the Home Department, Priti Patel, and the accompanying delegation to the Muharraq Police Directorate on 6 December 2020 was on the sidelines of her visit to the Kingdom to take part in the "Manama Dialogue". The Ministry was keen to brief the British Secretary of State for the Home Department on the most successful security initiatives and programmes, in addition to the exceptional security services provided within the policing arena, including those provided by the Muharraq Police Directorate’s Family Protection office. The briefing included the services and features of the Family Protection Office, in addition to the cases it is involved in for the protection of safety of women and children. It also included the Directorate’s experience in programmes and best practices pertaining to Community Police which are being currently rolled out on the remaining police directorates in the various governorates. The bilateral and historical relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Kingdom are deeply rooted for more than 200 years and are anchored on clarity and transparency. In addition, regional stability requires ongoing and close cooperation on collective security and counterterrorism issues with the law enforcement authority in the United Kingdom, for the security, safety, and prosperity of the people of both nations. The Ministry of Interior also confirms that the allegations propagated by the Qatari Al Jazeera Arabic channel with regards to this visit are baseless. The Ministry of Interior is surprised at this recent escalation of misleading media campaigns and misinformation and the motive behind them, as it is targeted at impacting the reputation and achievements of Bahrain's human rights record and harming the distinguished ties with the United Kingdom.