Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) need to collaborate on environmental training programmes to prepare for potential ecological disasters, Dubai's chief of police Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim has claimed.

Speaking to Gulf News at the Dubai Police Academy, he said the regional council must mitigate against the specific risks of events such as terrorist attacks on oil tankers or industrial accidents.

"We should be prepared beforehand in order to avoid future complications to a situation that may be out of our hands," he said.

He added that supranational oil and gas training programmes would also be essential to limit the impact and control the risk of land-based and sub-sea oil spills in the region.

The GCC is constituted by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as the seven sovereign states of the United Arab Emirates.

All members have substantial oil reserves and Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are also founding members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

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