Jail term upheld for negligent Dubai police officer

Appeal court upholds three month prison term for policewoman whose negligence allowed a prisoner to escape.

DUBAI // The Dubai Court of Appeal today upheld a three-month prison term and Dh1,000 fine for a policewoman whose negligence allowed a prisoner to escape.

AS, 26, was guarding the Iraqi detainee ZM on July 19 last year at the reception area of Al Qusais police station when the prisoner disappeared.

The policewoman argued that she was not guilty of negligence, saying that she was new to the job as it was her third day of duty after being transferred from the airport security section.

She said her colleague NJ, 32, was finishing her shift for the day when she approached her saying the prisoner needed to be kept in the room behind the reception. However, she said that her colleague did not tell her to take the prisoner into her personal custody and did not handcuff the prisoner either.

Soon afterwards she became distracted by phone calls and public enquiries at the reception desk.

"I looked at the detainee and she was still in the room," she said, but added that the next time she looked the prisoner was no longer in sight.

Her colleague denied this account, telling prosecutors she was instructed by a higher ranking officer to hand the prisoner over to AS and that she did this.