Decree No. (39) of 2023

Concerning the Methodology for Approving Organisational

Structures of Paramilitary Departments in the Emirate of Dubai[1]

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We, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai,

After perusal of:

The Dubai Police Law of 1966 and its Implementing Bylaw No. (1) of 1984;

Law No. (5) of 1995 Establishing the Department of Finance;

Law No. (3) of 2003 Establishing the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai;

Law No. (31) of 2009 Establishing the Dubai Government Human Resources Department and its amendments;

Law No. (6) of 2012 Concerning Management of the Human Resources of Local Paramilitary Personnel in the Emirate of Dubai and its amendments;

Decree No. (23) of 2014 Establishing the Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai; and

Resolution No. (19) of 2013 Approving the Line of Command Structure of the Paramilitary Departments of the Government of Dubai,

Do hereby issue this Decree.

Definitions

Article (1)

The following words and expressions, wherever mentioned in this Decree, will have the meaning indicated opposite each of them unless the context implies otherwise:

Emirate:

The Emirate of Dubai.

Government:

The Government of Dubai.

Chief:

The Chief of Police and General Security in Dubai.

Law:

Law No. (6) of 2012 Concerning Management of the Human Resources of Local Paramilitary Personnel in the Emirate of Dubai and its amendments, or any other superseding Legislation.

Competent Authority:

The authority vested with the power to approve the Organisational Structure pursuant to this Decree.

Department:

Any paramilitary or civilian semi-military entity that is governed by the Law, including any affiliate thereof.

Director General:

The commander-in-chief or director general of a Department, or any other officer holding a similar position.

Work Team:

The Work Team for Review of Organisational Structures of Paramilitary Departments in the Emirate of Dubai, formed pursuant to this Decree.

Organisational Structure:

A framework which outlines the organisational divisions comprising a Department ordered in multiple levels in a hierarchy, down to the sections or equivalent level, and outlines the authorities and responsibilities of each division. In this framework, orders and instructions flow from higher to lower levels, and the decision-making powers and centres of authority and responsibility are indicated. This includes new organisational structures and amendments to existing organisational structures.

Organisational Unit:

 

Any administrative unit that is affiliated to the Department and lacks legal personality, starting from the section level and upwards. This includes general directorates; directorates; security, service, research, training, and educational centres; specialised forces; military attaché offices; and similar units.

Competent Entity:

The Department of Finance, the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of the Emirate, the Dubai Government Human Resources Department, or the Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai.

Scope of Application

Article (2)

This Decree applies to the Departments that are governed by the Law, and to the procedures for approval and amendment of Organisational Structures.

Formation of the Work Team

Article (3)

A permanent work team named the “Work Team for Review of Organisational Structures of Paramilitary Departments in the Emirate of Dubai” will be formed within the Government of Dubai Human Resources Department pursuant to a resolution of the Chief.

Competent Authorities

Article (4)

a.    The Competent Authority in charge of approving an Organisational Structure is:

1.    the Chief or his authorised representative, for Organisational Units at the level of a general directorate, or its equivalent, or at a higher level; or

2.    the Director General, for Organisational Units at the level of a sub-directorate, section, or their equivalent, or at a lower level.

b.    Where a Department is affiliated to a federal government entity pursuant to the legislation in force, its Organisational Structure will be presented to the federal government entity for final approval upon being approved by the Competent Authority.

c.     Subject to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this Article, the Director General may, upon the recommendation of the Work Team, modify the names of Organisational Units or reposition them within the approved Organisational Structure of the Department, provided that this does not result in creating new Organisational Units or financial impacts.

Reasons for Establishing or Amending Organisational Structures

Article (5)

When submitting an application by a Department for the approval of its new Organisational Structure or amendment of its existing Organisational Structure, any of the following grounds must exist:

1.    the issuance of any Legislation which establishes the Department and stipulates that it is governed by the Law, extends the application of the Law to the Department, or amends the Legislation establishing or regulating the Department;

2.    the change or modification of the objectives or functions of the Department pursuant to any Legislation or policy adopted by the concerned entities;

3.    the adoption of any strategies or policies, at the Emirate's level, sector's level, or Department's level, which would affect the Department's activities or organisational status, enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department’s performance, or rationalise public expenditure; or which are warranted, based on any other grounds, by the public interest.

4.    the existence of overlap in the duties or functions of the Organisational Units within the Department, or overlap between the Department duties and functions and those of other Departments and Government Entities; and/or

5.    any other grounds, as determined by the Director General, for ensuring the effectiveness of the Organisational Structure of the Department in achieving its objectives and enabling it to perform the functions assigned to it by the Law.

Information and Documents Required for Considering

Organisational Structures

Article (6)

a.    A Department seeking to have its new Organisational Structure approved, or have its existing Organisational Structure amended, must file its application with the Work Team, supported by the following information and documents:

1.    the Legislation establishing the Department and the Legislation regulating its functions, and any amendments thereto;

2.    the approved documented strategic plan of the Department, the current and future projects and initiatives it intends to implement, and the financial appropriations allocated to these projects and initiatives in the General Budget;

3.    the current Organisational Structure, if any, down to the section level or equivalent level, as applicable at the time of submission of the application, together with:

A.    a statement of the critical number of paramilitary and civilian human resources of the Department, and their distribution over Organisational Units, down to the section level or equivalent level; and

B.    a description of the duties of the existing Organisational Units, down to the section level or equivalent level.

4.    the draft Organisational Structure proposed by the Department, down to the sections or equivalent level, together with:

A.    a table indicating the Organisational Units to be created, abolished, or affected by the proposed new or amended Organisational Structure and a description of the duties of these Organisational Units, together with the grounds warranting the same;

B.    a description of the duties of proposed Organisational Units, down to the section level or equivalent level;

C.    the financial impacts resulting from the proposed Organisational Structure of the Department, including any increase or reduction in financial expenses;

D.    a distribution of critical human resources within the proposed Organisational Structure;

E.    a distribution of existing and expected human resources within the proposed Organisational Structure, over the medium term of three (3) to five (5) years; and

F.    any other necessary information or documents requested by the Work Team for consideration and review of the Organisational Structure proposed by the Department.

b.    The Work Team may decline to consider an application for approval or amendment of an Organisational Structure if the application does not include any of the information or documents stipulated in paragraph (a) of this Article.

Standards for Considering Organisational Structures

Article (7)

a.    In considering an application for the approval of an Organisational Structure by the Work Team, the following standards and rules will apply:

1.    The grounds for proposing the Organisational Structure must be valid and in conformity with the general policies and orientations of the Government.

2.    The functions of the Organisational Units comprising the proposed Organisational Structure of the Department must be in conformity with its establishing or regulating Legislation, and its adopted strategy. These functions must not contradict or overlap with the functions of any other Department or Government Entity; must be clearly and accurately defined; and must reflect all the organisational levels of the Department.

3.    The financial impact of amending the Organisational Structure must be justified and must be within the limits of the budgets and financial plans approved by the Government;

4.    The relations and lines delineating various administrative levels must be clearly defined to ensure effective performance by the Department of its duties.

5.    The description of the duties of the proposed Organisational Units must be clear, and must meet the basic requirements of the Department and enhance its ability to effectively perform its duties and avoid redundancy or overlap of the duties and responsibilities of Organisational Units.

6.    The distribution of the human resources of the Department over the Organisational Units comprising the proposed Organisational Structure must be suitable and justified.

7.    The proposed Organisational Structure must strike a balance between the supervisory posts within each organisational level and the total number of executive posts within each Organisational Unit.

8.    The proposed Organisational Structure must strike a balance between the number of Organisational Units responsible for performing the core operations of the Department and the Organisational Units responsible for providing support services.

b.    In considering and reviewing proposed Organisational Structures, the Work Team may consult with any entity, and may seek assistance from the experts and specialists as it deems appropriate.

Procedures for Considering Applications for Approval of Organisational Structures

Article (8)

a.    The Work Team will consider any application for approval of the Organisational Structure proposed by a Department, and verify that it is based on valid grounds and is supported by all the documents and information that must be provided by the Department in accordance with the provisions of this Decree and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof.

b.    The Work Team will refer the proposed Organisational Structure to the Competent Entities to provide their opinions, each within its own jurisdiction.

c.     In light of its consideration of the proposed Organisational Structure, and the opinions of the Competent Entities, the Work Team will provide the Department with its comments and recommendations in respect of the proposed Organisational Structure.

d.    The Department will consider the comments and recommendations of the Work Team, take the necessary action in respect thereof, including making any necessary modification to its proposed Organisational Structure, and re-submit the modified Organisational Structure to the Work Team.

e.    Upon the completion of review of the proposed Organisational Structure and verification that all relevant comments and recommendations are taken into account, the Work Team will prepare the final version of the Organisational Structure and submit it to Competent Authority for approval.

Obligations of Departments

Article (9)

For the purposes of this Resolution, a Department must:

1.    provide all the information and documents required for considering its proposed Organisational Structure;

2.    fully cooperate with the Work Team and provide it with the data and information it requests to enable it to perform its duties under this Decree, the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, and other Legislation in force in the Emirate;

3.    take the actions and measures required for implementing its approved Organisational Structure in accordance with the provisions of this Decree;

4.    ensure that all decisions and actions taken by the Department are in conformity with the new Organisational Structure, especially those related to establishing functional structures, approving the description of the duties of Organisational Units, placing Employees on supervisory posts, and distributing Staff Members and other Employees over Organisational Units;

5.    regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the new Organisational Structure; and

6.    perform any other duties determined pursuant to the relevant resolutions issued by the Chief or his authorised representative.

Follow-up and Evaluation

Article (10)

a.    The Work Team must follow up the implementation of this Decree, and propose any necessary amendments thereto.

b.    The Work Team must, in coordination with Departments, evaluate the Organisational Structures existing by the effective date of this Decree, for purposes of update and improvement of the same; and must submit the relevant recommendations in respect thereof to the Chief.

Issuing Implementing Resolutions

Article (11)

The Chief will issue the resolutions required for the implementation of the provisions of this Decree.

Repeals

Article (12)

Any provision in any other Legislation is hereby repealed to the extent that it contradicts the provisions of this Decree.

Commencement and Publication

Article (13)

This Decree comes into force on the day on which it is issued, and will be published in the Official Gazette.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Ruler of Dubai

Issued in Dubai on 13 September 2023

Corresponding to 28 Safar 1445 A.H.



©2024 The Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai

[1]Every effort has been made to produce an accurate and complete English version of this legislation. However, for the purpose of its interpretation and application, reference must be made to the original Arabic text. In case of conflict, the Arabic text will prevail.