Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Interior concluded on Saturday its awareness campaign titled ‘No to Begging’ that was carried out through different channels, including television, radio, and print media, along with social networking sites.
The ministry said that the campaign managed to achieve its objectives, which included promoting donation of money through appropriate channels such as charitable institutions rather than giving money to beggars.
“The concerned police entities, through their various headquarters and departments, are exerting significant efforts to combat this social affliction through crackdown campaigns and awareness initiatives designed to eradicate objectionable behaviour such as begging, which detracts from the civilised image of society and endangers community members as some beggars commit robberies under the guise of beggary,” said Saif Al Sha’far, undersecretary at the ministry.
The ministry said that though the campaign has concluded, police will continue to work on a countrywide level to limit begging on the streets, and urged the public to report beggars by calling the police.
Begging is considered a type of fraud in the UAE as many beggars use various methods to garner sympathy to con people out of cash.
