Dubai Police launches culture awareness campaign for tourists

Dubai Police has launched a campaign to educate tourists to respect the UAE’s traditions so that they do not commit offences that could land them in jail.

Colonel Mohammad Rashid Al Muhairi, director of tourist security at Dubai police, said that they want tourists to know Dubai’s traditions and about what is right and wrong.

“In Dubai we have 216 nationalities and we receive millions of tourists every year. We want tourists to know our traditions and what is right and wrong in the city, ” he said.

The campaign titled ‘Welcome to UAE’, will continue until the end of 2015 and will target tourists to raise their awareness of the UAE’s culture.

“We will provide tourists with guides and will send messages to them in malls and beaches. We will put the campaign logo on Dubai Police patrols and supercars. We will also use social media to send messages to them,” Brigadier Mohammad Al Muhairi added.

Dubai Police will train service providers to tourists like taxi and bus drivers and hotels employees, on how to advice tourists to avoid trouble. FlyDubai will be part of the campaign.

Official statistics showing that call center 800243 received 515 calls from tourists since June 2015 until end of September. The calls were regarding problems or requests but Dubai Police said that they mainly came from Saudi tourists. “Complaints like bad service, room hygiene and road directions made up most of the calls,” said Al Muhairi.

When a Dubai Police official recently saw a couple exchange French kisses outside a Dubai Hotel, he advised them to stop as it not proper in public places.

“The man, an Arab, was kissing a European girl. I decided to advise them rather than take them to a police station. They apologised and said that they did not know that it is not allowed,” Colonel Dr Jasim Khalil Mirza, director of the security awareness at Dubai Police, said.

 

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