ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Saturday, March 28th 2015 [ME NewsWire]

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) concluded its media awareness campaign under the title “No to Begging” on Saturday. The campaign was implemented by the Security Media Department at the General Secretariat of the Office of H.H Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and received good response from the public via the different TV, radio and print media outlets, in addition to social networking sites and the MoI’s  social media pages.

Lt. General Saif Abdullah Al Sha’far, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior noted that the campaign managed to achieve its objectives in delivering its key message, which clearly reflects the UAE society’s rejection of the scourge of begging that tarnishes the bright and civilized image of the UAE. He also praised the role of the UAE Red Crescent and other charitable associations in the country in identifying the categories that are truly eligible for help; highlighting their commitment to humanitarian and charitable assistance to the needy families in the UAE or abroad. He called upon society members to donate their money through the appropriate channels to support humanitarian efforts carried out under the auspices of the competent entities.

“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 behaviors such as begging, which detracts from the civilized image of society  and endangers community members as some beggars commit robberies under the guise of beggary,” said Lt. General Al Sha’far.

For his part, Colonel Saeed Al Khajah, Deputy Director of the Security Media Department indicated that begging is considered a kind of swindling and fraud, whereas many beggars use various methods to garner community members’ sympathy. They have potential for fraud, and are out to cheat people and cash in on their generosity. He commended the valuable interaction of the public with the campaign and the immense response from the media, which contributed to the campaign’s success.

He added: “Even though the ‘No to Begging’ campaign has concluded; the police will not cease to exert efforts at the countrywide level with the aim of curtailing this negative societal scourge. Strict measures will be enforced, whether through inspection teams in charge of following up on beggars’ violations or through awareness efforts carried out by the Security Media Department in cooperation with its media partners throughout the year, in order to combat negative phenomena in general including begging.”

In conclusion, the Deputy Director of the Security Media Department called upon the public to report beggars through the phone numbers allocated for this end. To report beggars in Abu Dhabi, community members are encouraged to call the Police Operations Room on 999 or the Aman Service on 8002626. For other emirates, reports should be directed to the following: Dubai: 800243; Sharjah: 065632222; Ras Al Khaimah: 072053372; Ajman: 067401616; Umm Al Quwain: 999; and Fujairah: 092051100 or 092224411.    

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Abu Dhabi Police, please click HERE

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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