How Dubai’s Police Eye service engages community in keeping crime at bay
Feature on app lets lets residents play a role in maintaining law and order
Dubai Police yesterday disclosed that its Police Eye service received 108,100 reports from the public in the last five years.
That’s equivalent to nearly 60 tip-offs everyday.
These reports cover a myriad of criminal and trafficrelated issues and show a dramatic app-driven community engagement in law-enforcement efforts. The calls include 61,287 criminal reports and 46,813 traffic-related reports.
The revelation was made during a press conference held at Al Barsha Police Station.
It was attended by Maj Gen Mohammad Nasser Al Razzouqi, acting assistant chief for operations affairs; Maj Gen Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of the general department of traffic; Majo Gen Eid Mohammad Thani Hareb, director of the general department of anti-narcotics; Brigadier Mansour Al Qarqawi, director of the general department of administrative affairs; Brig Mohammad Aqeel Ahli, deputy director of the general department of criminal investigation for search and investigation affairs; Brig Eisa Ahmad Salem, director of Al Barsha police station, and several officers.
New information
Police pointed out that they have recently received many reports about young people gathering in desert where they were making illegal racing or reckless driving, thereby posing danger to their own lives and lives of others.
Police became aware of these new places only after they received the information from the public through Police Eye. As a result, many violators had been arrested and their vehicles confiscated.
Police also arrested a number of drug traffickers and drug abusers after they were notified by the public about such illegal activities.
Fighting crime
More than 40,000 tip-offs were received in 2023 related to suspicious criminal activities. Some of the information revealed criminal gang activities, which then led to their arrest.
In one incident, police received information from a community member that a man was severely beaten by another man in public before forcibly pushing him inside a car. The person who reported the incident suspected the issue was a kidnapping case.
Upon moving to the incident site, investigators found that the issue was triggered by a financial dispute and it was not a kidnapping case.
The statistics indicate a consistent increase in the number of residents and visitors using the Police Eye platform to cooperate with authorities.