AJMAN // A major clampdown on illegal immigrants will be launched in the new year, police revealed on Saturday.

Inspections will increase and the authorities will knock on doors asking to see residency visas.

Police say the number of illegal residents in the emirate is increasing daily.

Brig Ali Abdullah Alwan, commander in chief of Ajman Police, said the campaign would begin on January 5 in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior.

“There would be day and night raids conducted in residential, commercial and industrial areas on a daily basis once the campaign starts,” he said.

The clampdown has no deadline and is expected to continue until the authorities are convinced all illegal residents have left.

Brig Alwan said most of the illegal residents in Ajman were single men who had overstayed their work visas and former housemaids, but that there were also a number of Asian families.

He said the campaign would target all residential areas, with officials knocking on doors and asking for documents.

Police and the Ajman Naturalisation and Residency department are allocating 70 security personnel to carry out inspections, but this will increase to as many as 2,000 if necessary.

“We want the inspectors to visit everywhere, from the streets to houses, farms, workshops, factories and shopping malls,” Brig Alwan said.

He said inspection teams would respect the law and get permission from the public prosecution before any raids were carried out.

Brig Alwan said the authorities had prepared well for the campaign and had allocated several facilities to receive illegal residents.

These include areas where consulates, embassies and sponsors can meet people and process their leaving documents

Brig Alwan said the campaign was essential because the number of illegals in Ajman was increasing daily.

He said CID had already arrested about 35 illegals, mostly absconders and people wanted by police in relation to crimes.

Brig Alwan urged illegals to turn themselves in and rectify their status before the campaign started.

He also urged members of the public to report illegals in their neighbourhoods.

Brig Alwan said he was confident police and immigration officials would successfully catch all illegals, and said police had a 96 per cent satisfaction rate for their services.

The UAE held a two-month amnesty for illegal residents last December.

People who breach immigration rules face fines of Dh100 a day for visa offences, and Dh25 a day for residency offences.

ykakande@thenational.ae