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Sharjah Police arrests 95 beggars since beginning of Ramadan
The teams on the ground intensified their efforts since the campaign began and arrested 75 men and 20 women of various nationalities
- PUBLISHED: Wed 4 Mar 2026, 9:15 PM
Sharjah Police have arrested 95 beggars and street vendors since the beginning of Ramadan this year, as part of its 'Begging Is a Crime and Giving Is a Responsibility' campaign, it said on Wednesday.
The campaign was launched at the beginning of Ramadan in cooperation with the Security Media Department, as part of ongoing efforts to curb the phenomenon of begging and raise community awareness about its risks and negative impact on security and society.
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Lieutenant Colonel Yousef Al Mahmoud, Director of the Special Tasks Department and Head of the Anti-Begging and Street Vendors Committee, said that teams on the ground intensified their efforts since the campaign began.
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They increased readiness to monitor beggars across various areas, responding immediately to reports received through official channels.
He added that the campaign is based on two main pillars: field enforcement and community awareness.
Lt. Col. Al Mahmoud explained that the teams arrested 75 men and 20 women of various nationalities.
He added that the beggars had made this into a profession for a quick profit, exploiting the charitable spirit of community members and using various deceptive tactics to gain sympathy from passersby, particularly worshippers leaving mosques.
He stressed that such behaviour is part of a crime that's punishable by law as it harms the image of society and exploits its humanitarian values of solidarity and giving.
Earlier today, Dubai Police announced that they arrested 37 beggars during the second week of Ramadan. These arrests took place across the emirate as part of efforts to fight begging, which is illegal in the country.
These arrests are part of the 'An Aware Society Without Begging' campaign, which aims to raise public awareness and protect Dubai’s reputation as a safe and civilised city.
Brigadier Ali Salem Al Shamsi, Director of the Suspicious Persons and Criminal Phenomena Department, said the campaign has successfully reduced begging over the years. “Thanks to firm legal action against those caught begging, the campaign has caused a steady yearly drop in begging cases, with 37 beggars of different nationalities arrested in the second week of Ramadan,” he said.
