The Work Of Dubai Police
Dubai is a city in United Arab Emirates and is one of the most influential cities in the world today and is known for various accomplishments and achievements. Being in a land of high dreams and opportunities and having over a population of over 3 million, the reason for crime and other wrong doings is inevitable and recursive. Although, the crime rate in Dubai is considerably lower than in most cities in the world, there have been a few crimes of serious concern. Here comes the picture of the Dubai police officers who help people and help in keeping the society safe like modern day supermen with an additional task of enforcing law and making sure that people obey and abide them respectfully. Being under the category of patriotic duty and security of the country, Dubai police have a lot of authorities and responsibilities to maintain. There are specific police departments to handle different types of crimes and unlawful activities committed by criminals. In an expanding city of high economic status and abundant oil, there are numerous types of crimes that take place which is a threat to all expatriates, residents and tourists like theft, forced robbery, domestic burglary and violence, sexual assault and abuse, criminal damages, online hacking and blackmailing etc.
According to the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), the majority of reported crime in Dubai is reported in areas populated primarily by lower income, temporary laborers originating from other small countries. The majority of crimes attributed to this group consist of petty theft, public offenses like fighting and public intoxication, sexual harassment, and rare incidents of violent assault. Recently many crimes have been related to drug deals, the most recent one being: “Dubai Police busted three international drug gangs and seized 52Kg of heroin, cocaine and hashish in sting operations that lasted months, an official said on Tuesday.” According to the most popular and reliable newspaper ‘Gulf News’ in UAE : “In an undercover operation, the Anti-Narcotic Department of Dubai Police arrested the drug dealers red handed in different areas of Dubai, Officers did an outstanding efforts to nab members of the three drug gangs and seized 52kg of drugs. Some operations lasted for several months. The suspects were targeting the public to spread their poison”, asserted by the commander in chief of Dubai Police. As a result of such crimes, Dubai police have intensified efforts and cognition against drug crimes across the country. Dubai Police Anti-Narcotic General Department conducted an awareness session on harmful effect of drugs and its negative impact on individuals especially the youth and its consequences earlier this year in University of Wollongong, which was a successful event.
One of the most common crimes is drink driving committed by the non-locals and other small crimes which include road violations such as speeding and parking fines often done by general public. Some of the fine amount may even be increased if delayed, further causing more complications. To reduce such incidents, roads and tunnels are monitored by radar in many places of heavy traffic. Many signals have cameras that capture the number plate of the car which instantly gets registered in the system and the violator is informed about the speeding. Technological equipments are being used widely across the country for surveillance and monitoring in many public places for auditing and to ensure public safety. Non-violent crimes like white collar crimes often include fraud, bribery, cybercrime, copyright infringement, money laundering, identity theft and forgery which involve cases circulating in and out of the court stretching over a period of time depending on the damage caused on the company or a group of individuals. Usually this sort of crime is planned well before being executed and takes up a reasonable amount of money depending upon the seriousness of the attack.
Since Dubai is a city of high economic status especially in the Middle East, such incidents are bound to take place. Such an incident took place in which a case concerned a businessman that owned a credit facility company which had an agreement with a well-known Bank to act as its agent abroad to grant credit facilities. The businessman conspired with others to defraud the bank by establishing a number of companies and forging false documents and invoices of bogus transactions to present them to the bank as though they were genuine operations requiring finance. The offenders conspired with two employees of the bank to assist their conspiracy by facilitating the execution of the fraudulent transactions. Those employees illegally exploited their positions as manager and deputy manager of the financial department at the bank to approve such transactions and leverage the credit limit. The case was of course taken to the court where the penal law was ruled out and several other judgments were passed to prevent such crimes from taking place in the future along with a heavy fine on the offenders to offer as compensation. Under the labor law violations, in cases of non-payment of wages, the fines reached up to Dh5 million, a senior official from the Judicial Department said at a press briefing held to highlight the rules and regulations ensuring workers’ rights and welfare. The offenders who violate labor law will be given tough penalty which include jail terms and hefty fines. Since the rules have been strictly enforced, a drop in the rate of violations is expected. The country has been striving to enact new laws and revise the existing laws for all categories of workers, including housemaids and helpers, to ensure legal protection of their rights and welfare.
The Dubai Police have confirmed that prostitution and adultery are illegal and punishable crimes, and that sex workers will be brought to justice and deported if caught by police. Dubai is a major tourist destination and hence tourism is promoted widely, to ensure safety of visitors and tourists, general laws and ethics are to be followed by everyone. UAE is an Islam dominated country and has religious boundaries and background. To respect the tradition and culture of the country, there is a strict dress code to be followed by both men and women. Even though alcohol is prohibited by Islam, the city allows alcohol consumption in restaurants and bars attached to hotels under license, or brought by non-Muslim residents with alcohol license to celebrate during special occasions. Laws against drinking or being drunk in public are strictly enforced, and driving with even traces of drink in the bloodstream brings an automatic prison sentence without leniency. Sharia Law or Islamic Law is a religious law derived from the holy book Quran and Hadith which is respected for its sanctity and purity. It is a list of rules and regulations that are followed mainly by Islamic countries and have severe punishments and consequences if disobeyed.
According to various statistics and surveys conducted, Dubai’s serious crime rate index has dropped in the recent past years making it one of the safest cities in the world to live in. Reasons being the strict laws and rules enforced, heavy punishments and widespread awareness about crime through various platforms like newspaper, television and social media.
The UAE Government actively promotes safety and security of the public and makes sure public interest is the first priority.
