The public must not be taken for a ride by those who pose as policemen and, should insist on identity cards being produced, a top Interior Ministry
official warned.
Policemen will only have the right to stop a person to question him or her, when he produces his identity card, Lieutenant Colonel Saif Al Shafaar, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior told Khaleej Times recently.
Showing of the ID by the cop is an essential condition for questioning an individual, he said.
“The instructions issued by Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, confirms respecting the right of the public to identify the policeman, and get it confirmed before taking any action, whether
on the street or any
other place,” the
official said.
This is to foil attempts by those who pose as policemen, he said noting that such impersonators claim falsely they are cops to prey on others and terrify them before decamping with the money in their possession, he said.
“The Ministry of
Interior is keen on
urging policemen to produce their identity cards before taking any measures as a token of respect for others’ rights and the personal freedom everybody enjoys,” he said.
He advised the public to report immediately on any person they suspect posing as a policeman by dialing 999.
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