The Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters has launched today, Wednesday, a media and social awareness initiative under the theme “Together Let’s Stop Beggars.” The initiative aims to warn public from risks of dealing with beggars, the prevalence of which increases during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Major General Mohammed Bin Al Awadhi Al Menhali, Director General of Police Operations at Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, said: “beggary is a phenomenon that harms the civilized aspect of the country. Beggars are spread across the gulf countries; not only in the UAE. The reason for that is the sympathy that distinguishes our society whose members like charitable deeds. Helping people in need should be done through charity entities and organizations that work legally in the country and have their legal channels through which they deliver help for those who deserve.”
“The Abu Dhabi Police initiative to limit begging comes under the community and security campaign launched recently by Abu Dhabi Police under the slogan ‘Your Safety,’ and completes other campaigns where police and security entities within the country cooperate with each other. These campaigns follow the same educational methods that aim to educate the public against beggars and urge community members to send their money to the right place in order to support humanitarian efforts carried out under the supervision of concerned entities during the Holy Month of Ramadan,” he added.
The reasons behind the increase in beggars is based in the wrong idea, uncovered during investigations with beggars, that says: security and government monitoring decreases or disappears during Ramadan due to sympathy and religious beliefs. Beggars also try to misuse the generosity and sympathy among fasting people during the Holy Month, forcing people to respond to them and help them, apart from not reporting them to the authorities to keep them away from trouble.
Major General Al Menhali warned public against risks of dealing with beggars and sympathizing with them, as it can be that start of other crimes such as robbery. He warned the public against diseases that could be transmitted from beggars, and the harm they could do by taking such diseases to their families and community members.
Major General Mohammed Bin Al Awadhi Al Menhali, Director General of Police Operations at Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, said: “beggary is a phenomenon that harms the civilized aspect of the country. Beggars are spread across the gulf countries; not only in the UAE. The reason for that is the sympathy that distinguishes our society whose members like charitable deeds. Helping people in need should be done through charity entities and organizations that work legally in the country and have their legal channels through which they deliver help for those who deserve.”
“The Abu Dhabi Police initiative to limit begging comes under the community and security campaign launched recently by Abu Dhabi Police under the slogan ‘Your Safety,’ and completes other campaigns where police and security entities within the country cooperate with each other. These campaigns follow the same educational methods that aim to educate the public against beggars and urge community members to send their money to the right place in order to support humanitarian efforts carried out under the supervision of concerned entities during the Holy Month of Ramadan,” he added.
The reasons behind the increase in beggars is based in the wrong idea, uncovered during investigations with beggars, that says: security and government monitoring decreases or disappears during Ramadan due to sympathy and religious beliefs. Beggars also try to misuse the generosity and sympathy among fasting people during the Holy Month, forcing people to respond to them and help them, apart from not reporting them to the authorities to keep them away from trouble.
Major General Al Menhali warned public against risks of dealing with beggars and sympathizing with them, as it can be that start of other crimes such as robbery. He warned the public against diseases that could be transmitted from beggars, and the harm they could do by taking such diseases to their families and community members.
He urged the public to cooperate by reporting beggars to the Police Operation rooms on the emergency number 999, via Aman Service on 8002626 or via SMS on 2828.
Major General Al Menhali pointed out that begging is uncivilized and gives a bad impression about the community and endangers its members. Some beggars commit robberies under the beggary umbrella. He said: “Cooperating by reporting beggars, along with intensified efforts made by the police though its inspections and the active media cooperation through awareness campaigns launched every year, have helped to decrease the beggars numbers year-after-year. Beggars have decreased radically due to previous reasons, although we see more of them only during Ramadan and religious events.”
Brigadier Maktoum Al Shareefi, Director of the Capital Police Directorate, explained the different begging methods, as investigations showed that some beggars would claim sickness while others would claim a permanent disability or accident injury. “Those beggars have a strong ability to win people’s sympathy and can be mostly seen at the mosques and banks areas, crowded areas and some public places,” he said.
“Previously arrested beggars also informed us that beggars mainly come from Asian countries and use different methods to gain people’s sympathy. One of them had his hand burned and others claimed he had a surgical operation. Some beggars ask for money claiming they nee
