More than 150 volunteers help police patrol Dubai's streets

The Ride With Dubai Police initiative began on May 15 and invites members of the public to join Dubai Police's bicycle unit

More than 150 volunteers have patrolled Dubai's streets with the police's bicycle unit. Courtesy Dubai Police

More than 100 volunteers have got on their bikes with Dubai Police to help spread information about Covid-19 to the public since May.

Police’s bicycle patrol team invited members of the public to volunteer by heading out with them to raise awareness among residents about ways to protect themselves against the virus and to ensure measures are being adhered to.

The Ride With Dubai Police initiative began on May 15 and, to date, more than 6,000 applications have been submitted to take part.

So far, 166 people from 30 different nationalities have ridden along with police in 560 different patrols.

“We received thousands of applications but participants who were selected had to be fit, healthy, own a bicycle and possess a Covid-free certificate,” said Cpt Khalifa Al Rum, director of Dubai Police Platform for Volunteering.

“They patrolled through Jumeirah Beach Residence, Arabian Ranches, City Walk, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard and Al Khawaneej.”

He said the volunteers were dressed in high-visibility police vests and supervised by a team leader when they approached people flouting stay-home orders.

Deputy director of criminal investigations at Dubai police, Col Mohammed Ahli said the scheme was a good way to engage members of the public with their community and become more familiar with police work.

“This initiative gives volunteers the opportunity to serve their community, but their role is to raise awareness by providing information about the precautionary and preventive measures.” he said.