English version of Police Stories soon

Fourth edition of the book including 25 stories by Dubai Police officers in Arabic will be ready in April

An English version of Police Stories is set to launch in the coming months, as part of a police initiative to turn crime episodes into stories that will thrill readers.

Inspired by crime novelist Agatha Christie, Dubai Police said they have issued three editions of the book titled Police Stories already and will release the fourth edition soon so the public can read crime stories written by Dubai Police officers.

Captain Abdullah Mohammad Al Saadi, Director of Sports, Social and Cultural Activities at the Dubai Police Officers Club, said the police officers, taking a cue from what they observe in their daily lives, decided to give a go at fiction writing.

“We started a contest last year to select the best stories written by [our] officers and we chose 100 stories written by 100 officers. There are four [compilations] containing 25 stories in each edition. The stories are all in Arabic currently but there will be an English translation of the first edition which is expected to be released in the coming months,” Captain Al Saadi told Gulf News.

Following a suggestion in 2006 by an insider in the police force to have officers share their stories through fiction, Dubai Police, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, has released three books since 2008, each book representing a colour of the UAE flag to lend the entire endeavour a national identity.

“The book aims to educate the public through exciting stories that hold an element of suspense,” Capt Al Saadi said.

Each book is 350 pages, and the fourth and final edition will be ready by April.

The first three compilations will be distributed for free at the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature, taking place from March 3 to 11.