More than 1,000 beggars and illegal street vendors arrested in Sharjah this year

The emirate has a campaign to crack down on the practices

The force said 875 men and 236 women were caught begging or illegally selling water bottles, cigarettes, prayer beads or counterfeit products. Jeff Topping / The National

Police in Sharjah arrested more than 1,000 beggars and illegal street vendors between January and October this year.

The force said 875 men and 236 women were caught begging or illegally selling water bottles, cigarettes, prayer beads or counterfeit products.

Of the beggars held, 169 were arrested during Ramadan.

“Most recent arrests were made on October 26 this year,” the force said in a media release sent on Thursday.

“Some beggars were caught claiming they were sick and in need of treatment they could not afford.

“They even carried fake medical certificates to convince and trick people into paying them money.”

The emirate has a campaign to crack down on beggars and illegal street vendors.

“Special teams are working round the clock and their efforts have helped bring the number of crimes down because begging leads to crimes such as burglaries,” said the force.

Sharjah residents can report offenders by calling 901 or the hotline of the Criminal Investigations Department, 80040.

They can also file reports through the force's website or smartphone application.

Anyone caught begging in the UAE can face three months in prison and a fine of at least Dh5,000.

Those running professional gangs of beggars or recruiting people from outside the country to work as beggars can be jailed for six months and fined up to Dh100,000.