Dubai Police to have 700 officers on patrol for Eid

DUBAI // Police are to deploy more than 700 patrols across the emirate to ensure a peaceful Eid holiday period.

The patrols are aimed at preventing serious problems such as youth violence and aggressive driving, which usually increase over this time, but they will not be devoid of some festive cheer.

Rather than issuing fines for minor offences such as parking in prohibited areas, traffic police will hand out greeting cards with some friendly advice.

The patrols, which will report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), are to be spread across the city, and will focus on malls, parks, beaches, hotels and main roads. About half of the patrols will be undercover.

The department will also deploy 15 mounted patrols, 10 marine patrols and nine foot patrols at the Jumeirah Open Beach to ensure law, order and a quick response to any emergency.

Brigadier Khalil Al Mansouri, the head of CID, urged parents to supervise their children during the holiday and prevent them from carrying bladed weapons. "A low level of parental supervision combined with many hours of free time can push some children to create tension and arguments which can have drastic consequences," he warned.

"I also urge parents not to allow their children to ride quad bikes without supervision as they might take them to the main roads," he added.

Dubai Police's traffic department said it would intensify patrols during the holiday period, but did not provide the number to be deployed.

"In the last 10 days of Ramadan we have intensified our patrols in several main roads, including Emirates Road, the Dubai Bypass Road, Academic City Road and Al Khwaneej. This will continue throughout the Eid holiday," said Colonel Saif Al Mazroui, deputy head of the traffic department.

He said there would also be more patrols in residential areas to combat jaywalking.

"We will ignore minor violations which might be caused by traffic jams. But we will still crack down hard on any serious violations such as speed," said Col Al Mazroui.

Brig Al Mansouri also urged the public not to use fireworks as part of their celebrations. "The practice upsets the public peace as it creates noise, scares children and more importantly can have dramatic consequences," he said.

Possessing fireworks without a licence is illegal and this applies not only to traders but also to any member of the public who buys them.

Police say Federal Law No 3 of 2009 on Weapons, Ammunitions and Explosives covers all types of explosives, from tiny fireworks to rockets and mortars. The law does not directly address fireworks, but possession of explosives is punishable by up to three months in jail or a maximum fine of Dh3,000.