Royal Oman Police

The Royal Oman Police (ROP), also known as Oman Police (Arabic: شرطة عمان السلطانية‎), is the main law and order agency for the Sultanate of Oman. It maintains a helicopter fleet and also carries on the duties of safeguarding the long Omani coastline.

Background

The concept of a modern police force was relatively new to Oman when Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said rose to power after overthrowing his father in a palace coup on July 23, 1970. However, history shows that the first police in Oman was first institutionalized in the 1700s in Sohar. Hardly 30 years, ago, no internal security force existed in Oman. Security was the responsibility of the local walis or governors who carried it out with the help of local "Askars". The police presence was limited to the township of Muscat and Mutrah, where most of the souqs were present and most of the trade took place.

Once in power, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, in addition to his other reform campaigns, went about building an efficient and modern police force in Oman. In 1974, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said conferred the title Royal Oman Police (ROP) on the newly formed force. In November that year, ROP received its colours from the Sultan. The next year, the ROP headquarters was inaugurated in Qurum.

Oman

Coordinates: 21°N 57°E / 21°N 57°E / 21; 57

Oman (ⁱ/oʊˈmɑːn/ oh-MAAN; Arabic: عمان‎ ʻUmān pronounced [ˈuːmaːn]), officially the Sultanate of Oman (Arabic: سلطنة عُمان‎ Salṭanat ʻUmān), is an Arab country in the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the nation is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.

From the late 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was a powerful empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar (today part of Tanzania, also former capital). As its power declined in the 20th century, the sultanate came under the influence of the United Kingdom. Historically, Muscat was the principal trading port of the Persian Gulf region. Muscat was also among the most important trading ports of the Indian Ocean. Oman's official religion is Islam.

Oman (disambiguation)

Oman may refer to:

Places

People

Other

Oman ypsilon

Oman ypsilon, the Oman blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny found in the western Indian ocean, around Oman. This fish reaches a length of 4 centimetres (1.6 in) TL. It is the only known species in its genus.

References