Dubai: The bicycle unit at Dubai Police have played a big role in stopping beggars and thieves during the coronavirus pandemic, an official said on Sunday.
Captain Ahmad Al Zarouni, Director of Police Patrols Section in Deira, said that the bicycle unit arrested some beggars who were targeting the elderly by claiming they do not have money to pay their bills and also in another case a thief trying to break into villas in Al Reqaa.
“The bicycle patrols foiled a new style of begging as they were using sympathy with the elderly in order to pay their bills,” he said. “The motorcyclists also played an important role in spreading security and awareness among the public about precautionary measures during national sterlisation programme.
“We provided 43 bicycles to police stations across the emirate to combat crime and search for suspect activity. Patrols used to receive security notes from the public and write daily reports about security gaps in the areas,” he added.
Al Zarouni added that motorcyclists were deployed across different areas, especially tourist destinations like JBR, Blu Water, City Walk and La Mer.
In a recent article published by Dubai Police’s Sada Al Academia magazine, Lt General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander-In-Chief of Dubai Police, was described as the man behind the idea of establishing bike patrols.
The bicycle unit was a boost for police patrols especially in places that can’t be reached by police vehicles, it was said.
Earlier, Lt Gen Al Merri pointed out that police received 5,300 applications from volunteers wanting to join the bicycle unit to educate others on precautionary measures.
