THE lifestyle they lead is as far removed from that of ordinary Sheffield bobbies as Abu Dhabi is from their home city.

Mick Dynes and Martyn Burgess, both 49, trained together in the Police Cadets in 1975 and both were initially stationed at Hammerton Road Police Station.

When they retired from the force after 30-year stints both, unbeknown to the other, applied for postings in Abu Dhabi.

And it was only when they saw the list of successful applicants that they realised they would again be working together, this time in pastures new.

Now nearly a year into their emirate experience, Mick said both are loving it.


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"The island is very busy with a fantastic nightlife, restaurants, four shopping malls - each the size of Meadowhall - and beautiful beaches," he said.

"Abu Dhabi is one of seven emirates, the most well-known being Dubai, and although Dubai has grown far quicker than the other emirates Abu Dhabi is close on its heels."

Mick, who is married to Sue and has one daughter, Lian, has spent most of his life living in Dronfield.

And before jetting out to Abu Dhabi from Manchester Airport - on the same flight as Martyn last July - he had a varied police career.

First he was a PC, then a DC, at Hammerton Road, Ecclesfield, West Bar, Snig Hill and Attercliffe stations.

In 2001 he was seconded for a year to the United Nations International Police Task Force. Stationed in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was his job to advise the local force.

Two years later he was seconded again, this time to the Regional Police Academy in Basra, Iraq, where he spent 12 months.

A year later he became a member of the South Yorkshire Police Disaster Victim Identification Team that worked in Phuket, Thailand, after the tsunami.

By comparison Martyn, from Handsworth, has been something of a home-bird. Married to Jane for 27 years, with two children - James, 25, and Nicola, 21 - his South Yorkshire police career saw him initially stationed at Hammerton Road as a traffic officer.

Promoted to sergeant he spent two years supervising the custody suite, followed by three years at the driver training unit. A move to Moss Way followed, and his last 18 months were spent as a tutor supervising new recruits.

Now in Abu Dhabi both men are facing some very different challenges - including how they cope with the weather.

Mick said: "At times it reaches nearly 50C and life revolves around the malls and other places with air conditioning!"

They say Abu Dhabi is also a fast-changing place - with ever-changing demands on the local police force. Not long ago the emirate was little more than empty desert, inhabited by nomadic Bedouin tribes.
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