His Excellency Major General Abdullah Ali Al Ghaithi, Acting Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Operations Affairs, welcomed 31 orphans from the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation on Wednesday, 27 April, to fulfil their wish of seeing the firing of the Iftar cannon.
The event took place on Wednesday at the Atlantis Resort located at the Palm Jumeirah, in the presence of Brigadier Rashid Al Falasi, Deputy Director of the General Department of Organisation Protective Security and Emergency, and other senior officers.
Major General Al Ghaithi highlighted that the Dubai Police General Command has always been looking forward to giving some joy and happiness to orphans, emphasising that witnessing the firing of iftar cannons during the holy month of Ramadan is a joyful event that equally amuses children and adults.
โWe are eager to maintain Ramadan traditions, including firing the cannons to announce iftar time and mark the beginning of the holy month and the commencement of Eid,โ he further added.
Major General Al Ghaithi stated that Dubai Police had stationed cannons around the emirates in five locations this year. He also added that they also dispatched mobile (Roaming) cannons to 11 areas around the emirate.
Furthermore, Maj. Gen. Al Ghaithi stated that โfiring the Ramadan cannon is a yearly tradition that the Dubai Police General Command has carried out since the 1960s.โ
โIt alerts fasting citizens and residents during the time of Iftar and embraces the distinct environment of the holy month,โ he said.
Maj. Gen. Al Ghaithi illustrated that each cannon fires two munitions when the Ramadan crescent is witnessed.
โOne ammunition is fired every day during the sacred month to aware people of the time of Iftar, and one shot is fired when the first day of Eid Al-Fitr is declared. Two shots are instantly fired after the Eid prayer to celebrate the beginning of the Eid holiday,โ he added.
Maj. Gen. Al Ghaithi further highlighted that the cannons fired by Dubai Police have a sound range of 170 decibels and can reach everyone within a distance of 10 km.
The orphans also expressed their joy over attending the Iftar cannon firing and also made sure to commemorate this event by clicking some pictures with cannons and Dubai Police officers.