Dubai Police look to bust ‘beggar mafia’

A campaign to curb the beggar menace in Dubai will target a ‘mafia’-type operation in which tourist companies assisting in bringing beggars into the country.

Based on studies of past cases, the campaign, which will kick off on July 25, will be called ‘Combat street beggars' and will continue to the end of the Eid Al Fitr vacation. Beggars generally increase on religious occasions and public holidays such as during Eid.

"We have realised that groups and individual beggars were issued visas with the assistance of specific tourism companies. Gulf News quoted Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Al Muhairi, Director of Tourist Security at Dubai Police, our focus is not only on combating street begging but those who assist these individuals,” as saying.

According to him, there were 1,232 street beggars in 2006. The numbers fell to 987 in 2007 and 578 in 2008. However, beggar numbers rose to 618 last year.

"Street begging occurs everywhere and in Dubai we take the matter seriously as it ruins the reputation of the country and it affects the security of the place. The presence of beggars in mosques and shopping malls or any other public areas in not a pleasant image for the country," said Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police.

"Some beggars pretend they are handicapped, or have a life-threatening disease, or are unable to provide for their families or need money for an urgent medical surgery,'' he said.

In other cases, the beggars provide fake documents about a fund raising campaign to build a mosque or a school for orphans back home.

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