'Cuddle-watch' lifeguards save couples from arrest

Lifeguards warn couples before turning them over to cops; eyewitness say fully-clothed men denied access to beach

Dubai’s beach guards say part of their job has now become to issue daily warnings to tourists and visitors on the beach who get intimate in public.

Lifeguards these days are doing multiple jobs at the same time and that includes not just rescuing people from drowning but also saving them from a possible arrest.

“Many tourists unaware of local laws engage in some serious huddling and kissing on the beach and we have been on constant lookout, and of course warning them,” said one lifeguard at the Open Beach in Dubai

According to another lifeguard, tourists getting too cozy on the beach are warned a couple of times.

“Only if they ignore the warnings and continue to hug and kiss do we report them to cops.

Very rarely have we gone down that path because most tourists listen to us when we tell them of the consequences. They are here on a holiday all they want is to enjoy their stay and return,” said the guard.

Anthony Raj an Indian tourist from Tamil Nadu who was at the beach said during his hour-long stay at the beach he witnessed lifeguards warning some tourists at least three to four times.

“There was this couple who were kissing and trying to make out. At first the guards politely told them to stop. But they continued and were warned again.

But the third time they were taken aside and once again strictly warned. That is when they sort of became normal," he said.

According to him fully clothed men were also not being allowed entry into the beach.

“There were many men, fully clothed, and trying to enter the beach. They were all turned away,” he added.

According to lifeguards, signboards on the beach clearly warn tourists against any inappropriate behaviour and security staff say they have been doubling up to ensure tourists do not get into trouble with cops.

“Many tourists are aware of the local rules. However, there are many who are not,” he said.

According to them, beaches and other areas are constantly monitored by cops in plain clothes.

“They are always on patrol. There are CIDs dressed in plain clothes as well as cops in patrol cars monitoring the area,” the guard added.

In 2008 a British man and a woman were arrested and after they were caught having sex on the beach.

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Comments

  • Danushke 28 February 2012 13:48 8 7
    My point is this. Beach is an open place and any one should have the freedom to look at each other. If you wear so less cloths or worried about privacy so much, perhaps bath cubicle or the private pool is what suits you best.
  • richie 28 February 2012 12:41 2 4
    beach is a place were families come to relax and enjoy themselves, CIDs and undercover cops being highly trained can surely catch people who come only to look at ladies and make fun
  • Mohammed 28 February 2012 09:54 11 4
    Not all fully dressed people go to the beach to watch Women.some people go to the beach to sit and enjoy the beautiful weather with their family.
  • judith 28 February 2012 07:35 1 4
    Agree with Fadi... safety should be the first concern and educating the public about the beach areas, currents and dangers they might not otherwise know about.
  • Rooikat 27 February 2012 14:33 17 11
    @ Danushke. Men who frequent the beach in swimwear generally go swimming or relax on the beach with other beachgoers. Men who go to the beach fully clothed are not there to swim or relax, they go there to (very rudely) oggle at the ladies in the swim suits.
  • Fadi 27 February 2012 11:07 6 2
    Good initiative. However, we need more lifeguards on the beaches paying attention to the safety of swimmers and saving lives!
  • Danushke 27 February 2012 08:06 25 11
    Johannes@ so your point is, only men wearing swimwear can look at women in beaches?
  • Johannes 27 February 2012 06:46 7 13
    Still we see fully dressed man on beaches [like in Mamzar beach] staring at ladies.

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