Tag Archives: crime in Dubai

Run-ins with UAE police

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I was filling DH in this morning on everything that had happened while he was away – a catch up that takes place regularly in our household as we mesh our lives together again after his trips.

“And there was some excitement at the gym,” I suddenly recalled (it’s a fact of life that while he’s traversing the earth, the furthest I often get is to school and the gym).

“It was vandalised,” I said, probably putting a bit too much emphasis on the word, because the damage was very minor.

“It looked like a tiger had been working out,” I added for good effect.

“What do you mean?” he enquired. “There were dead goats left lying around?” (not quite as far-fetched as it sounds, as down the road from our first villa in Dubai there was a house where goats were kept).

“No,” I replied. “Someone broke in during the night and ripped the material on the work-out benches. The police came and everything.

“And took FINGERPRINTS, ” I finished with a flurry.

It was a good story, because this sort of thing doesn’t happen very often in Dubai (punishments are harsh). And it’s not every day you find yourself bouncing up and down on the step machine with an Emirati policeman prowling around.

But, later that day – still on a police theme – I read a brilliant post from a blog I follow based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The blogger writes The Reluctant Emigrant, inspired by recession in Ireland and emigration to the Middle East, and had just experienced a run-in with a UAE squad car – something I try very hard to avoid out here.

I hope she doesn’t mind me recounting her story.

In her words, she was ‘driving at the speed of a 10-year-old people carrier in need of a service’, when she was surprised to see the flashing lights of a police car in her rear view mirror. He tailed her, pulled in right behind her and engaged even more flashing lights to get her to stop.

Abu Dhabi residents face fines for having dusty cars

Abu Dhabi residents face fines for having dusty cars

“During the 24 steps it took him to get to my driver’s mirror, the world slipped into slow motion,” she writes. “I pictured myself being cuffed while face-down on the bonnet for some minor road offence. The children taken into care and the car confiscated, all because I didn’t use my indicators on the roundabout or some similar mistake.”

The young Emirati officer tapped his stylus on his electronic notepad and told her: “Madam, in order to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the city, I will have to issue you a warning to go home and wash, otherwise there will be a fine.

“Under UAE law, it is a crime to have your car this dirty,” he continued. “Please wash immediately. Also, I will warn you it is illegal to wash using water outside your home, so you must visit service station.”

Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up!

Starsky & Hutch security

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For the most part, the compound in which we live is a quiet place.

Apart from occasional activity at the nearby airbase (oh, and the ear-splitting sound of the Russian cargo planes that buzz us nearly every night), there’s definitely an air of calm about our community.

Located out of the city, in a vast expanse of never-ending desert, it feels very safe, family-friendly and removed from the hustle and bustle of Dubai.

The security guards who work here don’t exactly have a hard job. They man the entrance, waving in anyone who looks like an expat, and are seen walking round the compound looking for trouble – of which there’s usually none.

Their biggest excitement took place a couple of weeks ago, when the perpetrator of one of the few petty crimes to have been committed out here was busted. A housemaid, most likely from an impoverished background, allegedly stole a bicycle, somehow chopped it up into pieces and tried to get it out of the compound in a truck.

She was caught in the act and security swooped in Starsky and Hutch style. The police were called and sped into our community at break-neck speed, their lights flashing and a whirl of dust in their wake.

I honestly thought someone must have been shot in an expat gin-fueled domestic bust-up, the police officers moved so fast.

You see, a stolen bicycle is about as exciting as it gets if you’re a security guard working out here – which probably explains why they have to find things to do to keep themselves busy.

Like ambling around checking on parked cars.

My next-door neighbour left her vehicle parked in front of her villa, with the windows down, for an hour yesterday and discovered this note on the car.

In case you can’t read it, it (very politely) says, “Pls close your vehicle window glasses properly. Thank you”.

How I wish I had THAT MUCH time on my hands – but my favourite is number 3.

“……………….is leaking from your car and spoiling the appearance of the parking area.”

One can only imagine what they’ll come up with to fill in the blank.

Crime file: Knobbery at Motor City!

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One of the great things about Dubai is it’s a really safe place to live. The crime rate is very low, I’ve never felt threatened and parents definitely have their children on a much looser rein than they would in the US, or Europe.

Touch wood, we’ve never had anything stolen, been burgled or mugged (except by the rip-off prices in the stores). What crime there is tends to be petty, like a housemaid stealing her Madam’s diamond earrings, or Cartier watch.

“Phew, it’s hot under here – and I’ll have balaclava hair when I’m done!”

So imagine our surprise when we learnt there’d been an armed robbery just down the road! I was even there – and didn’t notice a thing!

It took place at the money exchange in Motor City, just before my car broke down in the car park. Two men wearing balaclavas (boy, they must have been sweating) and brandishing a pistol burst in and screamed at the petrified employees to stand aside.

In less than 30 seconds, they stole Dhs 1.6 million in cash, before speeding off with their loot in the direction of Abu Dhabi.

Sounds pretty slick, no? But robbers in Dubai, they’re just not professional – even ones who attempt an audacious daylight raid like this pair. They might even be described as a little vain – a slither too eager to boast about their spoils.

Otherwise how do you explain the fact that within about two hours of the heist a suspect had been arrested in a Dubai hotel room – with a celebratory photo on his camera, in which he’s smiling from ear-to-ear and waving wads of notes?

You can see the photo of the alleged thief with the stolen currencies here (I daren’t post it on the blog as I’m sure I learnt in media law that that jeopardises the case).

Talk about having the smug smile wiped off his face!