Coping with Police and Law when Living in Dubai

In an earlier article we touched upon the subjects of justice and freedom in Dubai, and how an apparently alien or outdated legal system was putting some would-be expats off moving to the emirate for fear of falling foul of these laws and being severely punished as a result.

To take this article a little further, we felt it was important to discuss how those who do decide to move to the emirate can learn to cope with the police and the law when living in Dubai.

We shall cite some case studies where people have fallen foul of Dubai’s legal system and offer up some perhaps less than conventional advice to help you cope if you are ever in the truly unfortunate position to have to cope with the authorities in the UAE.

Thanks to Pippa Sanderson, the author of Living and Working in Dubai
for the case studies cited herein.

If you stay on the right side of the police in Dubai you will probably find them nothing if not courteous and helpful at all times.  And if you happen to require their assistance because a crime has been committed against you, such as a petty theft for example, they will most likely be very polite and assist you as best they can.  The only observation you may make is that they are quite deliberate and therefore measured in their approach and this can be frustrating at times.

No matter how frustrated you get, never ever, ever display any form of negative attitude in front of a police officer.  You must remain subservient, utterly polite and humble at all times if you want to stand a chance of a positive outcome to the situation.  It has been known on countless occasions for the person who is 100% in the right to actually end up on the wrong side of the law if they present an abusive or just quarrelsome or stroppy attitude when dealing with the police.  So rein in your temper or feelings of frustration and be absolutely humble and calm at all times.

If you do find yourself on the wrong side of the law – and it is very easy to do as you will see from the case studies below – be prepared to be in for a very tough time potentially.  Remember to stay calm, call the British consulate if you can, and try and let others know the situation you are in so they can accompany you if you have to go to the police station.  By being helpful, friendly and unfailingly polite you will be doing the best you can to smooth your own path.  But unfortunately because almost anything from making an offensive gesture to kissing your spouse a little too over-passionately in a public place is a crime in Dubai, it can be easy to find yourself on the wrong side of the law…

One top tip is never to enter into an argument with a local, as chances are no matter how right you are, you will be considered to be in the wrong.  However, inevitably differences of opinion and issues will arise, and an all too common one is missing a rental payment or bouncing a cheque on your landlord.  Where rent has to be paid in advance and in multiples of months – i.e., in bulk – it can happen that an individual is awaiting payment from their employer, quite genuinely expects it to have cleared in their account in time, and writes a cheque for their landlord off the back of it.  If the money doesn’t clear and the cheque bounces, this is a criminal offence – and one where the landlord actually has a whole three years to take you to task over it!

Most landlords are reasonable and as long as you can quickly sort the matter out and get the money to them, you will be fine.  But the occasional one will have you arrested and you can even go to prison for the offence.  If you are called to a police station to deal with the issue, take the money to cover the cheque with you in cash.  Always, always, always get your bounced cheque back though – otherwise your landlord could keep it for a few more months and then keep re-presenting it and getting you re-arrested so you have to keep paying over and over again!  Okay, so that’s a far-fetched situation, but it is not an impossible situation to find yourself in!

As for case studies of those who have fallen foul of strange or harsh laws in Dubai, take a couple who were allegedly seen making love in a car – despite vehemently denying the charge they had to undergo a humiliating physical examination and were sentenced, jailed and then deported because it was deemed that they had had intercourse.  Then there’s the tale of the woman caught wearing inappropriate clothing or ‘provocative dress’ – she was arrested as her attire was considered to potentially ‘excite one’s sexual desire,’ which is a criminal offence.  A man was arrested for getting into an argument with a local person and allegedly calling them ‘a dog,’ a woman was arrested for making an offensive gesture whilst driving and another man arrested for allegedly swearing at a police officer.  People have also been arrested and sentenced to death for possessing drugs by the way, so remember that some of the penalties that can be dished out are harsh in the extreme.

As you can see, laws are strict and punishments harsh in Dubai – so be careful, try and stay on the right side of the law, make yourself well aware of what is and what isn’t acceptable before you’re actually living in Dubai, and if in doubt, be humble when in the presence of a police officer and if you can cry and visibly show how upset you are by the situation, so much the better.