Abu Dhabi police have launched a media and social awareness initiative against begging, which warns the public against the risks of interacting with beggars.

Major General Mohammed bin Al Awadhi Al Menhali, director general of Police Operations at Abu Dhabi Police, noted that the concerned police entities have intensified their campaigns to crackdown on beggars and take legal action against them.

He warned the public against risks of interacting with beggars and sympathizing with them, as it can often be an introduction to commit other crimes such as robberies. He also warned the public against diseases that could be transmitted from beggars, and the harm they could cause by being spread to family and community members.

“The ‘No to Begging’ initiative comes under the “Your Safety” campaign. It completes other campaigns where various police and security entities within the country collaborate to curtail begging,” said Major General Al Menhali.

“These campaigns follow the same educational methods to inform the public against beggars and urge community members to donate their money through the appropriate channels to support humanitarian efforts carried out under the auspices of concerned entities during Ramadan.”

Major General Al Menhali further noted that warning ads will be published in newspapers and posted on screens during the initiative’s events in a number of malls in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Furthermore, he pointed out that the ongoing awareness-raising initiatives, along with the active public and media cooperation, have helped to decrease the number of beggars every year.

“The concerned police entities, as well as their headquarters and departments are exerting great efforts to combat this scourge, and address it through inspection and awareness campaigns to eradicate this issue; begging is uncivilized and leaves a bad impression on the community. It also endangers community members as some beggars commit robberies under the guise of beggary,” said Major General Al Menhali.

The public must assume their duties as they are the first line of defense against this issue, he noted.

He also emphasized the important role of effective public information to curtail begging and its negative effects on society. – TradeArabia News Service