DUBAI // Some officers see them as troublemakers. Others regard them as spies. They view themselves as a force for improvement.
They are the members of Dubai Police's somewhat curiously named mystery shopper unit.
The team acts much in the same way as the retail industry equivalent and forms part of the force's organisation assessment department.
About 15 people from different police disciplines are picked every year to pose as members of the public and carry out regular checks on their colleagues. The chosen individuals are asked to evaluate the services provided in order to ensure the public receive high quality protection.
Those who work within the team admit they aren't sure some colleagues fully comprehend the function of the unit, which was established in 2003.
"Some departments understand our real role, while others consider the mystery shopper a disaster," said Lt Ibrahim al Ahli, who heads the unit. "There are some who view the mystery shoppers with suspicion. Some reject the job as they tend to view it as spying on their colleagues, but this concept is changing with time."
The unit provides reports on the performance of police branches to the board of directors and department heads so they can make informed decisions on how to improve the force and its staff.
The mystery shoppers visit police stations and offices to check on criteria such as the building and premises, staff attitudes and performance, and service transaction.
"We check everything," Lt al Ahli said. "We enter bathrooms to check their cleanliness, if there are tissues and soap. When violations are spotted we take photos as evidence."
They also assess phone and online services. The only area that does not come under their inspection is criminal reports, as these people cannot claim that they are victims of crimes.
Violations spotted by unit members in the past year included dress-code issues such as an officer not having an identity card visible.
"To clearly display the name on the uniform is important," said Lt al Ahli, as knowing the names of people guilty of misconduct "would make it easier for members of the public to report them".
The unit is handled internally by Dubai Police, which generates some external criticism as such self auditing goes against the general concept of mystery shopping, said Cem Pozam, the business development manager for International Service Check, which runs such mystery shopper services.
"Having no independent entity or a third party involved in evaluating the service is the wrong approach, as the person evaluated might be a friend and thus affects one's judgement," he said. "Having people doing it from the inside defeats the whole point."
The integrity of the judgement was not the only obstacle with self-auditing, Mr Pozam said, as the experience of an independent mystery shopper was different from a person who worked in the establishment.
However, Lt al Ahli said precautions were taken by the police to ensure that did not happen.
"We follow best practices and we ensure that the mystery shoppers do not know any of the people that they are evaluating," he said.
Since 2009, the unit has asked real customers if they can accompany them into the station and observe their transactions. They then ask the clients to fill out evaluation forms.
The unit provides semi-annual reports on their findings. Among the faults spotted by the unit was a lack of basic English-language skills among police personnel, an issue that was quickly addressed.
"Minimum English-language ability is a requirement, so we reported the issue and now all front line employees have to take English courses," said Lt al Ahli.
The unit has also taken steps to broaden its membership and has begun to reduce the number of Emiratis while increasing the number of expatriates to ensure that a high quality of service is provided regardless of nationality. About half of the mystery shoppers are Emiratis.
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Infiniti QX80 specs
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Naga
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%E2%80%99s%20race%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Tigist%20Ketema%20(ETH)%202hrs%2016min%207sec%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Ruti%20Aga%20(ETH)%202%3A18%3A09%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Dera%20Dida%20(ETH)%202%3A19%3A29%0D%3Cbr%3EMen's%20race%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Addisu%20Gobena%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A01%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lemi%20Dumicha%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A20%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20DejeneMegersa%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A42%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
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