Police seek more help from the public

DUBAI // Police in Dubai are appealing for people to come forward anonymously with information about crimes. "The murderer of the 40-year-old woman who was stabbed to death in the parking of Ibn Battuta Mall last March is still unknown," Brig Khalil al Mansouri, the head of the Dubai CID, said yesterday at the launch of the appeal. "We are spending thousands of dirhams to cross-check the DNA of the murderer with suspects, but this reality could have been different if people had a higher level of security awareness."

Police say only about five per cent of crimes in Dubai are solved with the help of the public. They urged people to report suspicious behaviour. Brig al Mansouri admitted that many people are reluctant to co-operate with police, and he said police plan to reach out to communities known as tight-lipped. "Many people, due to the way police operate in their home countries, view police as an oppressive apparatus and this image of police we need to change," he said.

Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the Dubai Police Chief, stressed that officers will guarantee the secrecy of people who provide information. "We will protect the rights of any informant," he said. @Email:[e-mail]