Sharjah Police arrest 95 beggars and street vendors in first 14 days of Ramadan

The Anti-Begging and Street Vendors Committee at Sharjah Police apprehended 95 beggars and street vendors over fourteen days, as part of the ‘Begging is a Crime and Giving is a Responsibility’ campaign launched at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan in cooperation with the Security Media Department.

The campaign was launched as part of Sharjah Police’s ongoing efforts to bring the phenomenon of begging to a minimum and enhance community awareness of its dangers and negative repercussions on security and society.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Yousef Al Mahmoud, Director of Special Tasks Department and Head of Anti-Begging and Street Vendors Committee, the field teams intensified their efforts since the launch of the campaign and raised their readiness to monitor beggars in various areas and deal immediately with reports received through official channels.

The campaign relied on two main themes; namely, field control and community awareness, he said.

The teams were able to apprehend 75 men and 20 women of different nationalities and the beggars had taken up this behaviour as a profession for quick profit, taking advantage of the spirit of giving among members of society and using different methods of disguise to gain the sympathy of passersby, especially worshippers when they leave mosques, he added.

These behaviours are a crime punishable by law because they cause harm to the image of society and exploit its humanitarian values based on solidarity and giving, he said. adding that Sharjah Police were continuing to implement their awareness programmes through their digital platforms and various media outlets with a view to raising awareness of the dangers of supporting beggars and stressing the need to direct donations to the official approved channels in the country.

Calling on members of society to support the campaign’s efforts and co-operate with the police by reporting any cases of begging on 901, Al Mahmoud underscored that community participation is a key element in putting an end to this phenomenon.