Dubai Police  

Dubai Police

Dubai Police and policemen do what police do in most countries. Try to keep the peace, arrest those suspected of criminal activities, help little old ladies across the road, and leave the cats stuck in trees for the Dubai Fire Department. Dubai Police occasionally ride horses (not camels) - usually you'll see them trotting around suburban streets in the early hours of the morning when all good citizens are tucked up in bed and thieves prowl the dark city streets looking for trouble.

Dubai Police contact details

• Emergency number tel 999 (not for directions, taxi requests or similar - although apparently a substantial proportion of calls are for just those sorts of things).
• Dubai Police operations room 24 hrs tel +971-4-2692222 - for police related enquiries that are not emergencies.
• Dubai Police Toll Free Number 7000-4-0000.
• Dubai Police report-a-dangerous-driver telephone 800 4 353 (toll-free in UAE).
• Email mail@dubaipolice.gov.ae
• Sexual abuse and child abuse hotline tel +971-4-2661228, connects to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) (announced 26 June 2011). In the UAE sex outside marriage is a criminal offense (so is adultery), so unfortunately there are occasional reports of alleged rape victims ending up being prosecuted and jailed for having sex outside marriage, especially in emirates other than Dubai - see the sex in Dubai information for some examples.

Reporting a crime in the UAE

None of this should be regarded as any sort of authoritative or official advice or comment, only biased observations from a small minority of people in the UAE (us, in case you're wondering who).

• 12 April 2011 - The National carried a report entitled "Don't fear us, police chief tells expatriates" in which the Chief of Dubai Police, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, was quoted as saying "It is tough being a stranger in a country. One might put up with many wrong things carried out against them, rather than report it to law enforcement authorities as they are scared of being questioned. We know this, as we tend to do the same when we are abroad - we do not want to come in contact with law enforcement authorities." A bit of a curious comment, depending on just who he is referring to when he says "we." If he means members of the UAE police forces then it sounds a little surprising that they would be reluctant to contact law enforcement authorities in other countries if necessary. However, although Lt Gen Dhahi might want to encourage residents not to be afraid of reporting "wrong things carried out against them," many expats do have good reason to fear reporting what they think are "wrong things" to the police ...
• Generally if a resident or visitor feels as though a crime has been committed, either against them or someone else, standard advice would be to contact the police to report the crime. However, expats especially have discovered that there are a number of possible crimes which seem to get the person reporting them in as much trouble as, or even more than, the alleged criminal. Some examples:
  • Reporting an employer for withholding employee property without authorisation, for example keeping passports in the UAE.
  • Reporting a rape or sexual assault - as sex outside marriage is a criminal offense in the UAE, some victims have discovered that the police seem to treat this as a more serious offence than the rape or assualt. And since someone who has been raped has had sex outside marriage, unless it was the husband who did the raping, by reporting a rape, it can be seen as an admission of committing the crime of having sex out of wedlock.
  • Sexual molestation of children - there have been a couple of cases of 14 year old girls tried for indecent activities as a result of them having sex with significantly older adult men, which indicates that the police and prosecutors do not regard 14 year olds as children.
  • Being drugged by someone - drug use in the UAE is treated strictly, with the apparently bizarre situation that if someone is unknowingly drugged by someone else with illegal drugs, although the perpetrator may well be punished, the complainant might also find themselves in jail, as one young lady discovered in November 2010. She was stuck in a cell for 5 months before being released on bail as a result of complaining to the police about being drugged. Apparently she herself provided the police with the incriminating evidence - the results of a blood test she took voluntarily because she felt dizzy after accepting a sweet from someone.
  • Assault of a non-sexual nature - it seems to be standard procedure for police to lock up everyone they perceive as being involved in a fight until they sort out who did what. That can sometimes mean an innocent victim ends up in the clink after reporting an attack, and even worse, in the same cell as an alleged attacker.
  • Alcohol - drinking alcohol is only legally permitted in the UAE in certain restricted situations. Being drunk or intoxicated in public is an offence, so if you've had a drink before reporting a crime of any sort, it is possible your drinking activity comes under investigation even if it is unrelated.
  • Reporting theft by a maid - if the maid was employed illegally (part-time from another sponsor for example), it's a bit of a lottery how things will turn out. The police could arrest the reporter for illegal employment of the maid, and that might mean a large fine and jail sentence. The maid will also be in trouble of course for working illegally.
  • Reporting a burglary or theft when alcohol is in the house or apartment - many UAE residents don't have an alcohol licence. This is one situation which is a good reason for having one. If the police turn up to investigate the burglary and see your alcohol stash, they may or may not ask to see an alcohol licence. Our best guess is that it's unlikely otherwise we'd expect to have seen a much larger number of incidents reported, or talked about, along those lines. But it's still a risk.
  • Reporting road rage in the UAE or a variation on a theme. Especially incidents involving obscene hand gestures. There are anecdotal stories of expat residents discovering that they are in trouble for agressive activities that they thought they were on the receiving end of.
  • Reporting a road accident as a witness. Again, urban legend indicates that sometimes the police blame the reporter for causing an accident even if the witness thinks they did not have any involvement in the incident, and were just trying to be a good citizen by calling the police.
  • Rendering medical assitance after an accident (road or otherwise). Most people find it difficult to ignore someone in need of assistance, but in the UAE, if someone dies after a traffic accident, or drowns, or is in another situation that results in what appears to be accidental death, expat urban legends are that it seems that the police will take in the last person to have contact with the person to determine whether or not they could be held responsible for the death. On the face of it, this seems to be a reasonable scenario, but anecdotal stories and comments are that the conclusion is surprising and/or takes a long time to determine (while the good samaritan is held at the police station).
• In any country, the police and the justice system invariably have a difficult job sorting out conflicting stories and wondering who to believe when someone is obviously lying, so it's understandable that they don't always get it right. Whether expats in the UAE really are victimised, or whether they are just being overly sensitive is difficult to figure out, but if some of the more sensationalist stories in the international press are to be believed, along with coffee shop and pub gossip, Dubai sounds like a wild lawless place that visitors would be well advised to stay away from. However, the number of residents and visitors who happily live in and visit Dubai and the UAE seems to contradict that overly broad generalisation.
• Our suggestion is to tread carefully, try not to offend anyone, especially anyone with more wasta than you, and enjoy your time in the UAE. And with respect to the law, developing fluency in Arabic is always useful.

Dubai Police facilities

Dubai Police services

List of Dubai Police stations in Dubai city

• Al Qusais / Ghusais
• Al Rifaa
• Bur Dubai
• Jebel Ali
• Muraqqabat / Murraqabbat
• Nad Al Sheba / Nadd Al Sheba
• Naif
• Port Rashid
• Rashidiya / Rashidiyah
• Zabeel (moved to Nad Al Sheba)

List of Dubai Police stations in Dubai emirate (not in Dubai city)

• Al Faqah / Al Faqa
• Hatta
• Lehbab

Dubai CID

What to do if arrested in Dubai

This is not legal advice, nor is it meant to be. Just an opinion based on our experiences and anecdotal stories. Ask a lawyer in Dubai or the police for authoritative and/or official advice.

• Try and stay calm, say as little as possible without getting advice from a lawyer whom you trust, and don't demand your rights if you don't know what they are. For relatively minor offences, a polite attitude is more likely to smooth the way for you than being abrasive and arrogant. That's probably true anywhere, but it seems to be especially the case in the UAE. For more servere offences, your attitude probably won't make as much difference.
• Don't offer bribes.
• Contact a lawyer, or ask a friend to contact a lawyer, as soon as possible. Especially if you don't speak Arabic. The official language of the UAE is Arabic, so legal proceedings are conducted in Arabic.
• Get a good lawyer - we don't think it's appropriate for us to make recommendations here but there are a number of firms with a good reputation. There are also a large number of stories floating around the coffee shops and bars of what sounds like poor lawyering.
• In the UAE, guilt or innocence, and punishment, is decided by a judge, not a jury. So the potential for personal bias influencing the outcome is much greater than with a jury system. So finding a lawyer with as much wasta as you can find is probably useful.
• If you have been detained at a police station, you might be released pending a trial if you can deposit your passport with the police, or if a friend will deposit their passport as a guarantee. Note that if you deposit your passport for a friend who has been detained, and they do a runner, then you will be in a sticky situation to say the least. You probably won't be arrested but you will be stuck in the UAE until you get your passport back, which could take a long time. This has happened occasionally.
• Most police in Dubai will speak a degree of English but are unlikely to be fluent to the same degree as a native English speaker.
• Try to avoid admitting to anything, or signing any documents that you don't understand. At least not until someone you trust has explained them to you.
• There are mixed reports of people detained being pressured or forced into signing documents under duress. How believable those reports are is difficult to determine, especially when the police say nothing of the sort happens - which is what you'd expect a police department to say anywhere, but of course is also difficult to believe.

Dubai Traffic Police

What to do if stopped by Dubai Traffic Police

Dubai Metro Police

CSI Dubai

Deaths and injuries in Dubai Police custody

British tourist allegedly beaten to death

• On 14 April 2011, there were reports that a British national, Lee Bradley Brown, had died while in police custody in Dubai after being arrested on 09 April 2011. The charges were related to an incident at the Burj Al Arab hotel where Mr Brown had been staying, involving some combination of abuse, assault, drunkenness depending on which report you read.
• The Daily Mail (DM), a UK newspaper well-known for sensationalism, reported that "Police sources say he was ‘badly beaten up’ by a group of police officers, leaving him unconscious on the floor" but without clarifying just which police sources told them that. Later in the same report, the DM claimed another prisoner had witnessed the alleged beating and phoned the sister of the victim. Which is probably not what most people understand by the term "police source." The inmate supposedly found Mr Brown's sister's phone number on a passport photocopy left in the cell.
• The DM also said that "Bur Dubai police station is a notoriously violent place where beatings, starvation, rape and the force-feeding of drugs is common-place." But did not substantiate this claim.
• On 15 April 2011, the Gulf News, a Dubai newspaper well-known for its reluctance to publish anything critical of Dubai, reported that the Dubai Attorney General, Eisam Al Humaidan, said "The forensic report attributed Brown’s death to asphyxia. The deceased choked on his own vomit. The report also pointed to traces of hashish in his blood and urine samples," apparently absolving the Dubai Police of any blame for the death of Mr Brown, and making no reference to any evidence of torture or beatings.
• The GN pointed out that Al Humaidan stressed that Dubai Police treats all its detainees in the context of human rights and human integrity.
• The report also said Mr Brown was arrested on Saturday 09 April 2011 after attacking and attempting to throw a housekeeper off the balcony of the Burj Al Arab hotel where he was staying. This was apparently confirmed by the hotel.
• The British Embassy in Dubai said "We are also in constant contact with the family and are providing consular support at this time." Whatever that means. Anecdotal stories in Dubai pubs and coffee shops usually emphasise the lack of consular support in the UAE. Then again, another report quoted a spokesperson as saying "The Consul General has spoken directly to the Dubai police at the highest level on a number of times to stress the importance of a full investigation. The police have assured us that they are investigating and we are remaining in close touch with them." Although the height of the "highest level" was not given.
• However, a later report in The Telegraph (UK) on 15 April 2011 indicated that the embassy was getting more involved, saying that Guy Warrington, the British Consul General, spoke to Lt General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, the Dubai police chief, several times to “stress the importance” of a full and open investigation into the death. Officials raised concerns for the safety of a four unnamed Britons being housed in the jail amid fears they are in danger because they blew the whistle on the beating. The incident risked turning into a diplomatic crisis for Dubai after consular officials from Australia and Canada also demanded access to their nationals currently held at the centre. The Daily Telegraph has learned officials want to check for signs of physical abuse and take a statement from every prisoner who was in custody at the time of his death.
• On 17 April 2011, Gulf News quoted the Dubai Police Chief, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, as saying "I am sure that no one used force against the dead tourist who was in police custody because he attacked a housekeeper at the Burj Al Arab Hotel on Saturday. We tried to bring the man under control. He was outraged and violent with the police and public prosecutor offices." He was also quoted in the same report as saying "We are not trying to hide any facts, and British citizens inside and outside the UAE must realise the police of Dubai Police are fair. We give people their rights and hold those who commit mistakes responsible." A second autopsy was under way.
• The Telegraph (UK) quoted the police chief in a 17 April 2011 report as saying "Dubai Police policy is known to be transparent and we will not hesitate to ensure our own officers face justice and punishment if we believe that they used violence against prisoners." A similar comment was quoted in a 7 Days report on 18 April 2011 - "Dubai Police didn’t beat him and we didn’t put him in an isolated cell. We would not hesitate to take action against officers if we believed that they used violence against prisoners."
• After the second post-mortem examination, there were reports that the Brit had indeed been in a struggle with the police, but that was because it was claimed he had been resisting arrest. He was also apparently attempting damage the bars and floor of his cell with his head according to police reports. And anyway, the coroner said that none of the injuries he sustained could have caused his death. According to news reports 18-19 April 2011, a statement from the Dubai Attorney General, Essam / Issam Issa Al Humaidan, said that "There are no external injuries or marks of apparent illness that caused the death." The AG also said that the investigation was still continuing.
• Four other British prisoners in the same jail apparently do not want to be transferred despite a request made by the British Consulate after news was first reported of the death. The National reported on 18 April 2011 that Officials at the British Embassy in Dubai said they had spoken to the prisoners and have now withdrawn a request for them to be transferred for their wellbeing and safety from cells in the Bur Dubai station, an embassy spokesman said yesterday.

Dubai prison guards assaulting prisoners

• In April 2008, in the Dubai Court of First Instance, a prison director, a senior police officer, 3 lieutenants, and 21 policemen all pleaded not guilty to charges of abuse of authority, and assaulting prisoners at the Dubai Central Prison. The charges were related to accusations of prisoners being beaten, resulting in 7 of them sustaining permanent disabilities according to one report (GN 29 June 2008).
• Gulf News (GN) reported 06 April 2008 that one of the prisoners brought by the Public Prosecution as a witness, said in court that "Men in black masks and some of the wardens assaulted us violently. Doctors fixed a metal chip to my spinal cord after a major back operation at Rashid Hospital," and a Dubai Police Major who had investigated the case said "Through our findings and what we saw in the digital recordings, we established the senior officer planned and supervised the incident. A number of officers helped him,"
• The defense presented several witnesses, also inmates, who claimed that the beating stories were made up, with one of them reportedly saying "A.M. is the one who asked the inmates to complain ... he asked inmates to say 'this is our chance, we should say they hit us to get better food' "
• Gulf News 15 June 2008 reported that one of the defense lawyers said "The suspects didn't abuse their powers or beat the prisoners but they only scared them to prevent them from getting rid of any forbidden substance." And another one said ... "All the charges were baseless .... The anti-rioti police squad, which conducted the search, are ... trained."
• On 29 June 2008 the accused were convicted in the Dubai Court of First Instance and given jail sentences of 3 or 6 months each. The verdict was appealed.
• The 12 assulted inmates subsequently made a claims for compensation in the civil court. On 26 June 2008 one of them died while still in prison according to a GN report 29 June 2008.
• On 18 November 2008, the Dubai Court of Appeal gave the accused suspended jail sentences as long as the crime wasn't repeated. One of the defense lawyers said, according to a GN report 18 November 2008, that "The prosecution witness and inmates gave contradicting statements, upon which the Court of First Instance based its ruling... doctors from the prison and police's headquarters failed to confirm that the Armenian sustained his disability due to beating, meanwhile several inmates confirmed that he fell from the stairs." The verdict was going to be appealed at the Dubai Court of Cassation.
• In December 2009 it was reported that one of the convicts, who claimed to have suffered a 10% disability as a result of the alleged assaults, had filed a lawsuit in the Civil Court of Dubai against the Dubai Police General Headquarters and the convicted prison staff for AED 5 million in damages.

Dubai Police history

• 19 September 1995 - Dubai Police Human Rights Section founded
• 1973 - Dubai Police Headquarters moved to Al Twar / Towar location on Al Ittihad Road (Dubai-Sharjah highway / Al Etihad Street)
• 01 June 1956 - Dubai Police force established in Naif Fort in Deira (still operating as a police station in 2008). Founded by Peter H Clayton (a UK national, also known as Sultan Bin Hamis in the UAE). He died at the age of 83 on 19 July 2011.

Dubai Police Museum

Dubai Police and Dubai Public Prosecution case file search

• To find details of police reports, court cases, and public prosecution records, try the Dubai Public Prosecution website, www.dxbpp.gov.ae, and click on either "Inquiry by case number" or "Inquiry by report number" under E-services > Customer Services menus.

Last update Monday 07-Nov-2011. Page development 3D 4L 5C.

Related pages

• Driving in Dubai
• Dubai Code of Conduct
• Dubai Police Academy - where Dubai Police learn stuff
• Dubai Police Kindergarten
• Dubai Police RTA traffic fines online
• Dubai RTA
• Wasta - useful to have if you're "helping the police with their investigations"

Related websites (new window)

• www.dubaipolice.gov.ae - Dubai Police website in Arabic and English
• www.alameen.ae - Dubai Police Al Ameen website - community services and crime reporting form.
• www.detainedindubai.org - Detained in Dubai website - independent service for those arrested in Dubai. A good first stop for friends and family of anyone arrested.
• www.dubaicourts.gov.ae - Dubai Courts website, in Arabic and English, has a handful of obscure laws available online but nothing comprehensive.
• www.adjd.gov.ae - Abu Dhabi Judical Department website
• www.dxbpp.gov.ae - Dubai Public Prosecution website, appears to have most or all UAE laws available online, but only in Arabic (as of beginning 2011).
• www.ejustice.gov.ae - UAE Ministry of Justice website, mostly in Arabic
• www.elaws.gov.ae - UAE laws in English might be available one day (not yet as of beginning 2011)
• www.twitter.com/dhahibintameem - Dubai Police Chief, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Twitter account. Starte 25 July 2011, in Arabic.
• www.twitter.com/DubaiPoliceHQ - Dubai Police Department Twitter account, mostly in Arabic.
• Dubai directory - add your link free

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