Abu Dhabi: Police say they arrested 70 beggars across the country during Ramadan.
"Among the beggars [who were caught], 41 were ladies and 29 were men of different nationalities," Abu Dhabi Police said in a statement on Saturday.
Major General Mohammad Al Awadi Al Menhali, acting director-general of police operations at Abu Dhabi Police, also noted that 42 beggars were arrested between January 1 and August 31 in the emirate.
"Among them, 18 were Arabs and 24 were Asians," he said.
During the same period in 2009, Abu Dhabi Police caught 234 beggars, so the 2010 figure was a drop of 82 per cent, Maj Gen Al Menhali said.
The number of complaints from people about beggars had also gone down this year to nine — compared to 50 in the same period last year, he said.
Cooperation
Al Asma police station often received complaints about beggars, he revealed.
Members of the public had been cooperative during the police crackdown on beggars. Maj Gen Al Menhali urged the public to continue to immediately report the presence of beggars to the police.
Most beggars tell false stories to people to attract sympathy, he said.
"We will take immediate action on all complaints," Maj Gen Al Menhali said. "We have increased the presence of police personnel in shopping malls and other public places to nab the beggars."
Maj Gen Al Menhali said the police would also run a publicity campaign to raise awareness of this menace among members of the public.
