Dubai mounted police report 388 arrests in H1

Dubai mounted police arrested 388 people for different offences in the first half of 2010, including 133 wanted criminals, a local daily reported on Sunday.

The mounted police, a division at the Emirate’s General Administration for Criminal Investigation, also seized 154 illegal migrants, 44 other suspects, and 55 cars wanted by the police, the semi official Alittihad newspaper said.

“Using horses in our activity constitutes a good deterrent because fear from horses allows us to quickly seize suspects,” it quoted Lt Colonel Jamal Al Gallaf, Deputy Director of the Criminal Control Division, as saying.

“This general public fear of horses assists us in our mission….we take advantage of this psychological factor that people believe they will be hurt by the horse if they try to resist arrest…for this reason, we have made big progress in supporting the police department.”

He said Dubai’s mounted police handled 868 cases in 2009, involving the arrest of 475 illegal migrants, 186 people wanted by police, 97 other suspects, and 82 wanted cars.