Dubai: The Bur Dubai police station managed to settle bounced cheque cases involving Dh824.4 million last year, a top official said.
Major-General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, said the settlement rate bounced cheque cases rose by 68 per cent from 2015 when the police station could settle cheque cases involving Dh489.8 million.
“The cheque settlement programme at police stations has been addressing a serious issue because the suspects in most such cases are not criminals and some of them are businessmen and merchants who could not honour their cheques for one reason or the other. When we settle their cases, they can return to their business and pay the amount,” Maj-Gen Al Mansouri said.
Last year, Bur Dubai police recorded 21,661 complaints, including 16,532 cases related to bounced cheques. In 2015, the police station registered 16,314 bounced cheque cases.
The cheque settlement programme involves negotiation between the two parties in the presence of police officers to solve the problem in an amicable manner. As soon as the parties reach an agreement, they sign a written undertaking in the police station that the issue has been resolved and the errant party would pay the money to the aggrieved party so that such cases need not be referred to the Public Prosecution.
“Usually, people involved in bounced cheque cases may stay under police custody and it is not in the interest of the two parties. Under this programme, the suspects can walk free and find a way to pay the money,” he said.
Dubai Police said people can register a bounce cheque complaint via the police application and the two parties in the case can keep track of the procedures on their phones.
“Bur Dubai is the biggest station in Dubai as its jurisdictional area includes main business, commercial and residential areas, shopping malls and tourist attractions,” Maj-Gen Al Mansouri said.
