Ramadan in UAE – Police Warn Residents Not to Help Beggars; Start Campaign to Decrease this Illegal Activity

From November to March 2022, the police authorities in the UAE apprehended numerous beggars across various emirates. According to officials, these individuals and groups were found to accumulate substantial amounts of money through begging. As a result, the authorities are urging residents to refrain from giving money to beggars and instead, make donations through registered organizations.

The police have long reminded the public that begging is a punishable crime, and ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, they have intensified their efforts to crack down on this illegal activity. Officials are warning the community not to engage with beggars and have increased patrols across the country to prevent such incidents.

Police officials have also confirmed that most of the beggars are part of organized gangs that operate outside the country. These groups deceive community members, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

In the previous year, the Dubai Police arrested a total of 604 individuals during Ramadan, comprising 382 beggars and 222 street peddlers. The authority received 2,235 reports from residents about begging, with 1,956 reports submitted through the (901) call center and 279 via the ‘Police Eye’ service.

To tackle this issue, Colonel Ali Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, Director of the Anti-Infiltration Department at the General Department of Criminal Investigation, announced the launch of the annual anti-begging campaign. The primary objective of the campaign is to curb beggary, create awareness about its dangers, and guide community members toward official and reliable channels for donations.

The campaign, which operates under the slogan ‘Begging is a Wrong Concept of Compassion,’ is a collaborative effort with partners such as the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, and the Dubai Municipality.

Reporting Channels

According to Col. Al Shamsi, the annual anti-beggary campaigns have consistently yielded positive results due to increased awareness within the community about the hazards of engaging with beggars. He urged the public to report beggars through official channels such as the Dubai Police’s call center (901) and the ‘Police Eye’ service, which is available on the Dubai Police smart App or the e-crime platform for e-begging reports.

The Colonel further highlighted that the Dubai Police are tirelessly working to combat crime, especially in areas frequented by beggars during Ramadan, such as mosques, markets, residential neighborhoods, Ramadan tents, and parking lots.

Safe Ramadan

To prevent begging and restrict the activities of street vendors during the holy month of Ramadan, the Sharjah Police have launched a campaign called ‘Ramadan Aman’. Brigadier-General Ibrahim Al Ajel, the Deputy Director of the Operation Department at the Sharjah Police, said patrols are closely monitoring beggars, especially in residential areas.

Al Ajel stated that organized gangs from various countries in Asia, the Middle East, and other Arab nations are behind the beggary practices in the emirate. The police have found that these gangs are bringing in beggars before the start of Ramadan, providing them with visas, air tickets, and accommodation in return for 80% of their daily earnings.

According to Al Ajel, several beggars who were arrested by the Sharjah Police said that they were brought into the UAE before Ramadan by these gangs. The gangs lure them with promises of a better life and job opportunities, but instead, they force them to beg on the streets.

The Sharjah Police have been successful in catching several beggars with large sums of money during previous Ramadan seasons. For instance, one beggar was caught with more than Dh44,000 in cash, while another had Dh12,000. In the last two years, the Sharjah Police have arrested 1,409 beggars during Ramadan.

Campaign in Ajman

The Ajman Police have taken measures to fight against begging in the region. Col Ahmed Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ajman Police, stated that various public-private partnership models have been implemented to eliminate begging. A dedicated team has been created to monitor beggars and increase supervision in public areas.

The public is being advised to avoid giving money to beggars and instead donate to authorized charities and non-profit organizations. Additionally, residents can assist the police in eliminating illegal activities by reporting any beggars they come across.

GDRFA takes strict measures

Lt. Col. Abdullah Ateeq, an official from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA), stated that the directorate has implemented stringent measures and established guidelines and prerequisites for tourism companies to guarantee adherence in eradicating the negative practice of begging.

Charitable Societies

Residents of Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman have expressed concerns over the presence of beggars in residential and commercial areas as well as at mosques. According to reports, some beggars have now resorted to posing as street vendors and sharing fake stories about being affected by wars in their countries to garner sympathy from the public. 

In light of this, Abdullah Al Ali of the Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department emphasized the importance of donating through official and verified channels, such as smart applications, websites, text messages, and donation boxes during the holy month.

According to Islam Al Saeed, a resident of Dubai, beggars have resorted to selling goods on the street as a way to make quick money. He observed that they often gather near traffic lights in commercial and industrial areas in the morning and approach drivers in parking lots while selling items like pens, water bottles, and Quranic publications.

Anti begging law

The UAE enforces stringent laws to deter begging and has continually introduced and amended these laws to combat begging and organized begging, prevent the exploitation of funds in financing terrorism, and safeguard the interests of fund donors.

Applicable Laws

Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 (UAE Penal Code) has recently been enacted to establish penalties and punishments for begging and organized begging. This law supersedes and revokes the previous legislation on begging, Federal Law No. 9 of 2018.

What Does the Law Say?

Article 475 

According to Article 475 of the UAE Penal Code, anyone who commits the offense of begging by pleading with others to provide a monetary or non-monetary benefit, through any means or method, can be punished with imprisonment for up to three months and a fine of not less than Dh5,000.

It is considered an aggravating circumstance if the begging is done under the following conditions – 

1. The beggar appears to be in good health or has a visible source of income.
2. The beggar fakes injuries or disabilities or pretends to offer a service to someone else or uses other forms of deceit and fraud to gain sympathy from others.

Article 476 

Any person who handles an organized begging activity, committed by a group of two or more persons, shall face a jail sentence of not less than six (6) months and a fine of not less than Dh100,000. The same penalty applies to those who bring people into the country to work in organized begging.

Article 477

Any person who experiences organized begging shall be liable to a jail sentence of up to three (3) months and a fine, of not less than Dh5,000. If the perpetrator of the organized begging is the legal tutor, custodian, guardian, or entrusted with the upbringing or care of the beggar, or has direct authority over them, then such matter shall be considered an aggravating circumstance.

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