The new service is a humanitarian initiative that enables Dubai inmates to communicate with their famils. WAM

Brigadier Ali Al Shamali, Director of the General Department of Punitive and Correctional Institutions at Dubai Police, said the new service is a humanitarian initiative that enables Dubai inmates to communicate with their families, inside and outside the country, in a way that achieves the principle of physical distancing.

The service also fulfills the commitment to the precautionary and preventive measures called upon by the Dubai Government in light of the current global COVID-19 crisis, he said in a statement issued by Dubai Police on Monday.

Brig. Al Shamali added that Dubai Police have been keen to provide complete logistical support to the inmates so that they can communicate with their loved ones through electronic devices, in cooperation with the General Department of Artificial Intelligence at Dubai Police.

He explained that families should first request an online visit through Dubai Police app available on smartphones; they will then receive a text message with a link of the specific date and time for the video call. They can later go to Dubai Police official website and connect to the inmates who would be offered the necessary electronic devices to join the call.

WAM