A Dubai Police chief has issued a warning to social media influencers who are trying to get "likes" by leaving valuables unattended to showcase the emirate's low levels of crime.
Some accounts on TikTok and Instagram have posted videos where a phone or wallet is left alone, or a car or front door is left unlocked, all to prove the emirate's reputation for high levels of safety.
However, Maj Gen Jamal Al Jallaf, director of the force's criminal investigation department, advised against leaving personal items on show in public places such as beaches and shopping centres or leaving homes and cars unsecured, saying these acts were 'neglecting safety'.
Sending out wrong message
"They [social media users] have been finding creative ways to see whether Dubai really is safest city in the world,” he told The National on the sidelines of a recent press conference.
“We saw many videos of people leaving their phones or cars for some time and then return to find them untouched. It’s a spreading culture on social media.”
Maj Gen Al Jallaf spoke out over the dangers of digital content creators instilling a false sense of security among their followers, and although he was proud of Dubai's relatively low levels of crime, he was keen for people not to invite trouble by failing to take commonsense precautions.
“We are proud of the reputation of Dubai as the safest city in the world, but content creators making such online videos are neglecting safety," he said.
He said other videos showed people leaving front doors unlocked when leaving their apartments.
One influencer, going by the username Comp Random, posted a video on TikTok which has been viewed more than 1.2 million times to date.
He is shown in the recording purportedly leaving a GoPro camera, an iPhone and his wallet on a bench at Kite Beach for more than an hour, saying he was “absolutely sure" they wouldn't be stolen.
He said he was inspired by a story he heard about a person who left a $60,000 handbag on a table to reserve it. “Where else can you do that?” he quipped.
He is shown returning to the area to find his possessions untouched.
“Dubai is the best city in the world," he said. "I don't know other cities in the world you can do this in.”
Last year, Baymammet Sarybekov, 32, from Turkmenistan, decided to show how safe Dubai was by leaving his phone and wallet unattended in public places.
The social media personality — known as BaymaBay on TikTok ― said he had lived in several cities across the world but never felt as safe as he does in the emirate.
“The safety in Dubai is unbelievable. People forgot their wallets, phones and valuables in public places but it is safe and untouched,” said Mr Sarybekov in a previous interview with The National.
The UAE was ranked in the top five countries for feeling safe when walking alone at night in Gallup's Global Law and Order reports in 2021 and last year.
Travel insurance website InsureMyTrip in February last year named Dubai as one of the safest cities in the world for solo female travellers.
"Dubai has a very low crime rate and is considered a safe place to travel as a woman, with the majority of public transport in Dubai offering a ‘women’s only section'," the report stated.
List of alleged parties
May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
least 17 staff members
May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
party
Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
Gavin Williamson
Dec 13 2020: PM and Carrie throw a flat party
Dec 14 2020: London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative
Party headquarters
Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
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The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
