Traffickers caught thanks to tip-offs on police app

Dubai Police say a surge in anonymous tip-offs from the public on a force app has helped them track down criminal gangs involved in human and drug trafficking.

Officers praised how the “remarkable increase” in use of the Police Eye mobile app helped them in their job.

More than 108,000 reports of crimes were made on the app last year.

Categories showed a big increase on when Police Eye was launched in 2019.

Officers said 32,102 reports of human trafficking, drug use and cybercrime were made on the app last year – almost 10 times the 3,752 instances logged in 2019.

Meanwhile, 9,297 traffic offences were reported on Police Eye in 2023 – compared to 845 incidents in 2019.

Police did not disclose the number of arrests made as a result of information provided through Police Eye.

Maj Gen Eid Mohammed Thani, director of the anti-drug department at Dubai Police, said many tip-offs had helped the force arrest drug-trafficking gangs.

“We were able to identify dealers and users, thanks to the observations of the public when they reported the crimes using the Police Eye app,” he said.

Police have also received information on people abroad involved in drug-trafficking in Dubai, added officers.

Police Eye was launched to allow residents to report any suspicious activity to Dubai Police as part of efforts to make the city safer.

Maj Gen Saif Al Mazrouei, director of the general department of traffic at Dubai Police, said there has been a “remarkable increase” in public engagement with the app since it was launched.

“This community-police partnership has helped the traffic department get to areas and trace offences we wouldn’t have known of otherwise,” he said.

In one incident, police were able to trace and arrest a number of young men stunt-driving near a valley.

“We were tipped off by members of the public using the Police Eye app,” Maj Gen Al Mazrouei said.

The officer said the increase in tip-offs was “testament to the heightened sense of responsibility and legal awareness within our community”.

Other categories of incidents that can be reported on the app include disturbances, suspicious vehicles, suspicious gatherings, illegal credit sales, gambling, beggars, vandalism, prostitution, massage cards, alcohol, and school security.

Brig Mansour Al Gergawi, director of administration of administrative affairs at Dubai Police, said every piece of tip-off information “is handled with the utmost care and precision, bolstering the app’s role as a vital tool in crime prevention and public safety”.