Milipol Qatar, the region’s most influential trade exhibition dedicated to internal State security, wrapped up three days of showcasing the state-of-the-art in security products and services from hundreds of international exhibitors.

The Doha Exhibition Centre was the venue for the 9th edition of the biannual event which ran from October 8 to 10, organised jointly by Qatar’s Ministry of Interior and the France-based security event experts Milipol.

The exhibition was inaugurated by H.E. Minister of State for Interior Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani.

5,820 visitors (up 5.5% on the 2010 figure) from 66 countries attended Milipol Qatar 2012 and witnessed firsthand the ‘cutting edge’ of today’s internal security industry as presented by an eclectic roster of ‘blue chip’ multi-national and innovative SMEs that are shaping internal security policy in the Gulf and beyond.

244 exhibiting companies (up 10% on the 2010 figure) from 37 countries were joined by a record number of delegates and media representatives. The former were making the deals which made Milipol Qatar 2012 the most successful edition of the event to date, while the latter were spreading the news worldwide about what makes this event the most influential of its kind in the Middle East. Media representation at Milipol Qatar 2012 came from all over the Gulf, the Levant countries, and from Europe.

On the first day of the exhibition the sizeable French delegation honoured H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, The Minister of State for Internal Affairs, as he received the "Medal of the French National Gendarmerie" from the Director General of the Gendarmerie, Major General Jacques Mignaux. Sheikh Abdullah is the first senior official in the GCC to receive such a medal, as recognition for his achievements in conjunction with the French Gendarmerie.

The exhibitors utilised a total 5,403 square metres of floor space at the Doha Exhibition Centre – an increase of 19% on the area used for the 2010 edition. As anticipated, business was brisk throughout the event.

The first day witnessed Qatar’s Itqan Holding sign lucrative deals with Bertin Technologies and CEIS (both of France).

On day two, Itqan Holding was in action again, tying up a deal with the French firm SafranMorpho, which specialises in security and identity checking equipment. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior also inked agreements with ten companies (among them Cassidian, the pan-GCC IT specialists Gulf Business Machines, SafranMorpho, and Itqan Holding).

On the final day, Qatar’s Internal Security Force signed a multi-million Euros contract with Renault Trucks for the supply of heavy vehicles vital to the security of the State of Qatar and the Qatar Ministry of Interior signed a QR122 million deal with Nuctech from China. Indeed, the Ministry of Interior alone signed deals worth QR262 million over the course of the exhibition.

Milipol’s Director of Security Events, Michael Weatherseed, said of the event:  “Internal and state security is a burgeoning market and Milipol is helping companies tap into the opportunities created. The international nature of the internal security market means that in order for customers’ needs and expectations to be achieved, Milipol Qatar needed to become more international, and we’ve seen this in 2012 with the massive number of different countries exhibiting here, and the number of different nationalities of our visitors.

GCC-based representation at Milipol Qatar 2012 was very strong indeed overall, with big numbers of regional companies descending on Doha. From KSA, the Saudi Chemical Company; from Bahrain, Impact Canine Solutions and Janada, and from the UAE, Elements Business Media FZ, Tawazun Holding, Adasi, Burkan, Remaya, Caracal International, Tawazun Advance Defence Systems, Caracal Light Ammunition, Nimr Automotive, Motorola Solutions, Morse Middle East, StratignFZco, Al Hamra Trading, Advanced Middle East Systems, Safa Telecom, and Al Majdal Trading.

Jordanian representation came from the KADDB Investment Group; from Kuwait, the Al Hadaf Company, and from Oman, the Oman Textile Mills Company.

The local presence was augmented by exhibitors from Europe, America, and Asia through a representation of big names in the field such as Cassidian, Thales, Motorola, NEC, Rheinmetall AG, Alsetex (SAE), Finnmeccanica, IBM as well as a large number of innovative SMEs.