Dubai: Dubai Police have come to the assistance of an expatriate woman who was stuck in the UAE since 2014 owing to a bank loan.
Captain Dr Abdullah Al Sheikh, Head of the Victim Support Section at Dubai Police, said the woman had stood as a guarantor for a bank loan taken by her husband, but was later deceived by him and as a result, she was stranded in Dubai.
“Her husband took the money and travelled back home for good, leaving her in the UAE. She had a standing court order against her that prevented her from leaving the country,” said Captain Al Sheikh. The woman sought help from the police after she couldn’t repay the loan.
“We managed to get the bank’s approval to waive off the case and helped her return to her children back home,” added Al Sheikh.
According to official data, Dubai Police provided assistance to people from 48 nationalities last year, who were victims of criminal acts and traffic accidents. The section responded to 99.8 per cent of the total cases registered with it in 2020.
The section contacted victims from 58 nationalities during the first quarter of 2021, achieving a 99.7 per cent response rate.
“We carried out 1,493 field visits to interview victims and provided support and assistance to 575 requests received via the Dubai Police website,” Al Sheikh said.
In another case, Dubai Police responded to a request from an Emirati in recovering a sum of money that he had lent to a person, after the latter refused to return it. “We contacted both the parties to end the dispute. The men eventually arrived at a reconciliation and the entire amount was paid back to the creditor,” added Captain Al Sheikh.
In 2020, Dubai Police rescued a 54-year-old expatriate man who tried to end his life due to depression. “The officers intervened just in time and saved his life. The man was alcoholic, due to mental health problems, and was suffering from depression. He experienced extreme loneliness, staying away from his friends and his 21-year-old son,” Al Sheikh explained.
Dubai Police provided all necessary support to the man and arranged for his psychological treatment, that ultimately brought about a positive change in him. “The man has become a completely transformed person now and is even taking part in Dubai Police’s awareness lectures on suicide prevention — by sharing his own experience,” Al Sheikh said.
Humanitarian cases during pandemic
Al Sheikh said Dubai Police responded to 2,022 calls for help in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, in collaboration and cooperation with Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, and Tarahum Charity Foundation. “Our strategic partners and local authorities provided every possible support, including food, medicine, transport and medical check-ups, to those in need,” he added.
According to Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs at Dubai Police, the section was upgraded for greater power and efficiency.
“The new Victim Support Section will be run by an elite group of security and psychology experts, who will work closely with all the police stations in Dubai, in order to provide psychological and administrative support to victims of traffic accidents and criminal acts,” Maj. Gen. Al Mansouri said in a statement.
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Dubai Police’s Victim Support Section:
The Victim Support Section of Dubai Police provided assistance in 289 cases of ‘Status Verification’ and 614 cases related to child custody. It also provided support to families in 153 cases of deaths and assisted 854 victims in various cases.
