As part of preparations for the 2022 World Cup, security forces in the country are learning how to manage the hundreds of thousands of fans expected to attend the tournament.

As part of their training, the Armed Forces and military police have recently completed their first unit on riot control.

QNA reports that the four-month course focused on developing skills to deal with crowd control, stadium security and rules about dealing with riots.

There were also sessions on different types of weapons and gear used by riot police, as well as control and arrest techniques.

The training was held at the Military Police School. It attended by members of the Emiri Land Forces Command, several military police commenders, members of the Joint Special Forces Group and the Emiri Border Command.

Foreign assistance

The government didn’t specify who was conducting the training sessions.

But over the past few years, Qatar has partnered with various police forces in Canada, France and the UK to help improve its ability to manage large crowds and maintain order before the tournament.

Help aside, Qatar already has strong riot prevention protocols in place within the country.

For example, a big fight broke out in 2014 between construction workers and security guards at the under-renovation Sheraton Doha hotel. At the time, four buses of riot troops responded to the scene.

While protests are rare in Qatar, authorities take them very seriously due to the high number of construction workers in the country.

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