UAE | Crime
Crime rate falls sharply in Jebel Ali
Bounced cheques and trading in illegal alcohol among workers have significantly increased this year in areas covered by the Jebel Ali Police Station, but the total crime rate has declined, a senior official said.
- By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:04 July 4, 2009
- Workers enjoy a game of carrom on their day off at a workers accommodation. The picture is used for illustrative purposes only.
- Image Credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Gulf News
Dubai: Bounced cheques and trading in illegal alcohol among workers have significantly increased this year in areas covered by the Jebel Ali Police Station, but the total crime rate has declined, a senior official said.
Jebel Ali Police Station covers about 1,974 square km of one of the most commercial and industrial regions in Dubai, and is divided into eight areas: Dubai Industrial, Dubai Investments Park, Emirates Hills, Al Sufouh and Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali Free Zone, Waterfront, Palm Jebel Ali and Dubai Sports City.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Qadir Al Bannai, Director of Jebel Ali Police Station, most cases involve robberies from warehouses and companies, bounced cheques, stealing of company cables and illegal trading in alcohol.
The number of unsolved cases fell from 164 in the first five months of 2008 to 67 in the same period this year. The police solved 77 cases in that period.
Because of the commercial and industrial make-up of the area and the high security provided by property developments, not many crimes take place in residential areas, he said.
Robberies in residential areas are considered "very low" in Jebel Ali, he said with nine robberies registered in 2007, eight in 2008, and four in the first six months of 2009.
"There is an overall reduction in crime in Jebel Ali with increases in a few cases. Almost all seasons are the same for us, unlike other areas where police stations face challenges in specific months or seasons.
"Among the toughest challenges is to control the illegal trade in alcohol in workers' accommodation," he told Gulf News.
There were 20 robberies by known suspects from warehouses and companies in the Jebel Ali area. However, they have fallen, said Lieutenant Colonel Al Bannai.
One of the most common thefts was that of expensive cables from companies, he said. The robbers wanted the copper in the cables.
"Following our campaigns, the number of stolen cables has fallen. In 2008, 43 cables were stolen by known suspects, but there were only six in the first six months of 2009 by known suspects," he said.
In the midst of the global financial meltdown there has been a significant increase in the number of bounced cheques, he said.
According to him, there were 1,383 complaints of bounced cheques reported at the police station in just the first six months of 2009 in comparison to 1,048 in all of 2008.
Most of these bounced cheques were involved in fake real estate dealings, he said while addressing the magnitude of the crisis regarding these crimes.
He said that in all of 2008 the value of bounced cheques was Dh64 million while in the first six months of this year it was a staggering Dh204 million - more than three times the 2008 amount in half the time.
The growth in construction and economic expansion are posing challenges to the Jebel Ali Police Station, he said.
Another challenge for the police station is the increase in illegal trading in alcohol in workers' accommodation, and two murder cases were reported in 2009 among competing illegal alcohol traders.
More than 150,000 workers reside in the various accommodations in Jebel Ali, he said, and in these places the police have retrieved large amounts of alcohol.
In most arrests, investigators and police officers find huge amounts of alcohol hidden in creative ways.
"It's the competition among traders that is causing a problem, with two serious murders happening this year over a dispute about illegal alcohol trading in workers' accommodation," he said.
"Furthermore, drunk workers tend to engage in a lot of disputes and physical assaults."
Buying, consuming and storing alcohol outside a bar and without an official licence is illegal in the UAE.
In 2008, 34 cases of illegal alcohol trading were registered while in the first six months of 2009, around 40 cases were busted. This amounts to 111,160 litres of alcohol retrieved in 2008 and around 33,150 litres in the first six months of 2009.
Alcohol is hidden in bathrooms, rubbish bins, down manholes, and in deserted warehouses, among other places, he said.
Pedestrian casualties:
- In 2008, 31 cases
- In first six months of 2009, 10 cases
Suicide cases:
- In 2008, 23 cases
- In first six months of 2009, 14 cases
Company cables:
- In 2008, 43 cables
-In first six months of 2009, 6.
Bounced cheques:
- In 2008, 1,048 complaints
- In the first six months of 2009, 1,383 complaints
Illegal alcohol trading:
- In 2008, 34 cases of illegal alcohol with 111,160 kg of alcohol retrieved.
_ In the first six months of 2009, it is around 40 cases with around 33,150 kg retrieved.
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