UAE
Dubai Police kindness stories go viral: ‘They escorted me to Dog Beach at 6am’
Residents share similar heartwarming encounters, from late-night tyre changes to helping families find lost cars
Cassie Williams posted this picture on her LinkedIn profile, sharing her experience with Dubai Police.
Picture credit: Cassie Williams
Dubai: What began as a simple LinkedIn post by a confused dog owner trying to find the ‘Dog Beach’ at Dubai Islands before sunrise has sparked a flood of heartwarming stories from residents praising the kindness and support they have witnessed from Dubai Police.
“This is not what it looks like,” Cassie Williams, Partner at a legal search firm Montresor Legal, wrote in a post shared two days ago, with a picture of a Dubai Police patrol car parked in front of her vehicle.
“This morning at 6.15am, before the workday even began, I was completely lost trying to find ‘Dog Beach’ in Dubai with my panting dog in the car,” she wrote.
When a Dubai Police patrol car noticed the confused driver, instead of pulling her over, the officers checked if she was okay and then escorted her all the way to the beach.
“No stress. No judgement. Just care and support,” she added.
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, the 40-year-old British expatriate said the experience perfectly captured what living in the UAE feels like.
“The feeling in the whole of UAE really is amazing,” she said. “Particularly at the moment, given the circumstances, we are feeling so protected and taken care of.”
Williams officially moved to Dubai in February this year to set up the Middle East practice of her London-headquartered global firm, after travelling regularly to the UAE for the past five years.
Explaining why she chose Dubai for the expansion, Williams said: “For the opportunities. I love building things and this region has always been so good to me.”
She spoke about how different her experience has been in the UAE, compared to elsewhere in the world.
“In many countries, you get quite scared when the police roll up next to you,” she said. “But here, instead of telling me off, they were like: ‘Oh no, we’ll help you.’”
According to Williams, her GPS had stopped working while she was trying to find the beach early in the morning.
“The GPS wasn’t working, so they phoned through their offices and escorted me with sirens blaring and all,” she said. “Then they stopped and told me where to turn. It was really quite unbelievable.”
Having lived in countries including the United States, Singapore and the UK, Williams said the encounter stood out.
“I’ve lived in America, Singapore, obviously the UK, and honestly that’s one of the most amazing things that only happens here,” she said.
‘Kindness always wins’
Her post quickly drew dozens of comments from residents sharing similar stories of unexpected kindness from Dubai Police officers.
Among them was Elinor Wagdy, a 33-year-old resident born and raised in the UAE, who recalled a late-night incident on Sheikh Zayed Road.
“My car tyre burst in the middle of Sheikh Zayed Road at 1am,” she wrote in the comments. “A Dubai Police patrol stopped right beside me. The conversation was simple: ‘Need help?’”
She said officers returned minutes later with a petrol station attendant who changed the tyre for her.
“They also brought me a bottle of water and a Ferrero chocolate, then waited until everything was done and I was safely back on the road again,” she wrote.
“Moments like that stay with you not because it was dramatic, but because kindness always wins.”
Another resident, Yasir Masood, recalled getting stranded in the Gold Souq area shortly after moving to the UAE.
“I couldn’t find where I parked my car … We were with two kids at the time, one in a stroller,” he wrote.
After asking a police officer about a road sign he vaguely remembered, the officer offered immediate help.
“He said, ‘Get in the car, we’ll look for it!’ I won’t forget that.”
Meanwhile, Adelya Fazylzyanova shared how officers had helped her on several occasions while travelling with her baby.
“Many times, the policemen helped me to find a taxi when they noticed I was struggling and with baby in hands,” she wrote. “Especially helpful during school pick-up hours and Hessa Street blocked. Means a lot!”
For many residents, the stories reflected something that is hard to put in words – the feeling of living in Dubai, that you only understand once you experience it.
“It’s moments like this that really put into perspective what living in the UAE means,” Williams wrote in her post. “The level of safety, attention and genuine look-out for people is something I deeply appreciate.”
Another long-time Dubai resident, Martina Kikic, who works as an Advisor to C-suite on LinkedIn Authority, said the approachable nature of police in the UAE is something many expatriates struggle to explain to people back home.
“This is what I like about the UAE,” she said. “I've been in Dubai for almost 10 years, and while in most countries people are scared of the police, here I'm happy when I see them.”
“It's so hard for me to explain that feeling to others outside of the UAE,” she added.