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  Is it illegal to be out late at night? print this article   email this article   post your comments  tweet this 
  Monday 29 Jun, 2009

Is it illegal to roam on Dubai streets after midnight?

Today I had the most embarrassing moment in my life.

When I returned from the airport after dropping my friend, it was around 2.30am... I was walking towards my home, two police approached me and asked for my labour card.

After presenting it, they asked me to get in the police van and they took me to Naif police station without any reason...

When I went to the police station, I found there were a lot of people -around 200 - all caught without any reason and they made us to sit on ground for around three hours and then let us to go.

When we asked again why we had been held, they said you should not roam after midnight and informed us if we were caught again after midnight, they would put us behind bars for one month...

Can anyone tell me is there any rule that says after midnight we can’t go out?

Anonymous
Dubai




 
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Comments

I guess it depends which area you are roaming..............
Posted by :  marymargreth      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
outrageous........
Posted by :  The Black Knight      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
I dont know if it is illegal to be out after midnight. But its ridiculous to hear such incidents. So the next time when one has to drop his friend or family to the airport we will have to carry a copy of the passengers passport, ticket and maybe one the copy of the visa where the passenger is travelling to. If we have to take someone to the hospital in the middle of the night then we should be asking the ER to give us a clearance certificate saying so and so person was here at so and so time with his friend so please dont arrest him. Or then we go to a party in a hotel or at somebody's place they should give us a certificate saying he was in a party so please dont arrest him. I mean what is this??? I hope they dint fine you or anything.
Posted by :  jackdxb      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
Hi, I have faced the same fate in Dubai in 2004. All i was doing was coming back from Bur Dubai to Deira 2.30 in the morning from a friends place. I had to go through exactly the same for another 15 hours. It is strange for a place to have such a law, which allows restaurant and bars to remain open until 3.30 in the morning and have transport facility available for 24 hours. If no one is allowed to go out after midnight for whom these facilities are there? Anyone from the authority can explain the law or the way how it is implemented?
Posted by :  sanjyamajumder      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
30 days in ze cooler for being outside after midnight? Its surely time to pack up and leave really isn't it?
Posted by :  El Bliz      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
Nothing surprises me any more out here but consider yourself lucky that you were out in 3 hours. As the saying goes we learn something new everyday. Advise - in future dont argue or ask questions or try to give an excuse as you might end up staying longer.
Posted by :  A. A. Ali      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
I am confused... this "rule" wouldn't make ANY sense whatsoever! I mean ... How are Petrol stations, Airports, media stations operated 24h ... if after midnight you are not allowed to walk around? one more questions would be "clubs" they close at 3... picking up people at 2:30 for walking around "illegaly" after midnight would be sensless! EXCEPT ... if you were walking around in a place where illegal things sometimes happen, like drug deals or prostitution ... otherwise this made absolutely no sense!
Posted by :  Alex V.      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
This is weird, silly, crazy. Consider this as a bad dream and be thankful you were allowed to go - nothing bad happened to you.
Posted by :  Yniake Dubai      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
Lucky You. This place is full of surprises. You never know what is good for You and whats bad and still what has been bad will it remain bad or turn good the other day. I travel a lot during nights due to my work but never have been questioned may be because I had been always driving. But they should have released You after checking your Id. May be You didnt satisfy them adequately regarding your roaming at that hour
Posted by :  Atulaks      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
Strange, there is no rule as far as I have heard that people are not allowed out so late in the night - what about airport runs? 200 people in the station??? Were the police searching for someone, or were they so bored by the night shift that they had to do something? I hope that you were not fined anything ridiculous like that.
Posted by :  Aussiemaus      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
Vee have vays unt means of keeping you off zee streets at night.
Posted by :  tonyb1      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
I would imagine that only certain nationalities are stopped & taken to the police station.
Posted by :  veritas      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
Strange, It happened to be asked my ID or passport once but never this. The Policemen were professional. They also told me that if I had no ID with me they would take me home to show them the ID but never told me they will take me to Police Station. In Europe, you also need to show an ID if controlled by Police and in some countries you need to have minimum 10 Euro in the pocket or credit cards.
Posted by :  Btof      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
You can be arrested anywhere in the world for loitering. Where you loitering? Looking suspicious? Hanging around? Taking your time? Casing the joint? What made the police suspicious? I have some sympathy for a police force which is doing it's best to keep down crime. Being alone on the street at 2.30 am suggest you might be looking for an opportunity to perpetrate a crime. Why would you want to create that impression? It's not being out that is the problem, it's how you appear to be behaving that attracts interest to the police.
Posted by :  Steve Dubai      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
I was picked up the other day for walking in a strange way between 16:30 & 16:35 I was absolutely livid as this is normally only enforced between 16:25 & 16:30! What is Dubai coming to?
Posted by :  MonkeyAllen      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
Hey Anonymous, either Steve Dubai knows you and is making fun of you or hates you so much that even after stating that you dropped off a friend at the airport and was walking home he asks if you were "casing the joint." my my...
Posted by :  TonyA      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
We're all safe from terrorists and the like because of these guys, so let them be.
Posted by :  anseljr      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
Okay have I missed something here - what 'terrorist' do we need protection from - in Dubai. Terrorize - bully, coerce, intimidate, menace, persecute, terrify, threaten etc. So anseljr please define your definition of terrorists.
Posted by :  A. A. Ali      On :  Monday 29 Jun, 2009
 
OK, if this is the case, then please formalise it into a law. At least that way people will know that they are not supposed to be out after a certain time.
Posted by :  The Black Knight      On :  Tuesday 30 Jun, 2009
 
Mentioning Naif Police station, would mean that you were in the vicinity of what all veterans in DXB call the RED zone. Why? Naif is one of the areas for attracting people looking for hookers, drugs, smuggled items, etc. The cops may have mistaken you for someone who is about to do mischief.
Posted by :  gatekeeper      On :  Tuesday 30 Jun, 2009
 
If he was walking around in a place where 'naughty' things happen then perhaps the police should focus their attentions on these activities and not someone walking around. It's absolutely ridiculous
Posted by :  ExpatEddie      On :  Tuesday 30 Jun, 2009
 
Maybe 7days should ask for some answers from the Dubai Police for us unsure readers of this strange practice.
Posted by :  HoboDxb      On :  Tuesday 30 Jun, 2009
 
as one said depends who you are with and where. There are number of instances where friends of mine were picked up at night if specially after 12 pm. so please avoid going alone in the night.if you are with your family and kids they will not asked you. if you are in your car they will not ask you. but if you walk on the road it would be a easy kill. you wont believe what happened couple of days back to me i was just picking up my collegue from the road after work and one guy who was behind my car acted as if i have killed somebody on the road and asked me to stop my car and told he is a RTA inspector and took my plate no. so please dont pick up anybody from the road , dont go out in the night alone after 12. this is there country there rule. please abide by it. Mr cautious .
Posted by :  kavinda      On :  Wednesday 1 Jul, 2009
 
I have theory - they want everybody off the streets after midnight so that the maniacs who do street races most weekend nights(certainly up and down Al Wasl Road near the post office) won't have to worry about excess traffic getting in the way and spoiling their fun?
Posted by :  zahara      On :  Wednesday 1 Jul, 2009
 
It does not seem to apply to cars, you can drive round like a lunatic at 4am, but walk down a city street minding your own business and you'll get a night in jail. It is of course targeted at certain nationalities, my brother was stopped by police on his first night in Dubai a few years back because he was looking for a kebab shop or fast food place after midnight, but being a brit was told there was nowhere offering food and he should go back to his hotel. Not a great way to impress tourists - never had any experience like this anywhere else, even communist russia in the late 80s.
Posted by :  flackie      On :  Wednesday 1 Jul, 2009
 
Its normal......they've been doing this for years now. i know a couple of guys who were picked just as they got off the abra in broad daylight. wats worse is that apparently their finger prints were taken. sure the whole process is quite intimidating and silly that they would just make you sit down at the police station but i guess thats why they're aware of whats happening in town and seem to solve most crimes in a short span of time. also, they're probably doin this cuz they've sworn to track down all illegals in the country.....just my theory :-)
Posted by :  The Practical Being      On :  Monday 6 Jul, 2009
 
its very much needed to counter the crime happening in dubai. People should not be allowed to go out unless no work, cheers.......... man be careful
Posted by :  jojokinder      On :  Monday 6 Jul, 2009
 
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