General UAE Legal Questions LawLaw No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai

Article (2) The following words and expressions, wherever mentioned in this Law, will have the meaning indicated opposite each of them unless the context implies otherwise: Emirate: The Emirate of Dubai. Government: Executive Council: The Government of Dubai. The Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai. SLC: The Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai. Chairman: The chairman of the SLC. Government Entity: Any of the Government departments, public agencies or corporations, Government councils, public authorities, or other public entities affiliated to the Government, including the authorities supervising Special Development Zones and free zones, such as the Dubai International Financial Centre. Director General: The director general of a Government Entity, including the executive director, chief executive officer, or secretary general of that entity; or any other person holding a similar position. Law Enforcement Officer: A natural person granted the law enforcement capacity to act as a law enforcement officer with specific jurisdiction to record acts or omissions committed in breach of the local Legislation in force in the Emirate.

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Law No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai Page 3 of 11 Objectives of this Law

Article (4) a. The provisions of this Law apply to all Law Enforcement Officers in the following categories: 1. employees of Government Entities; 2. employees of private companies and establishments contracted by a Government Entity, or to whom the functions assigned to that Government Entity under the Legislation in force in the Emirate are outsourced, for the management of any of the public facilities run or operated by that Government Entity, or for providing its services to customers on its behalf; and 3. community members, including UAE nationals and the non-UAE nationals residing in the Emirate, who are granted law enforcement capacity pursuant to this Law and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof. b. The provisions of this Law do not apply to members of judicial authorities, police personnel, and persons granted law enforcement capacity with general jurisdiction. Competent Authority for Granting and Revoking Law Enforcement Capacity

Article (6) a. To be granted law enforcement capacity under the provisions of this Law and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, an Employee of a Government Entity or of a private company or establishment must: 1. be performing professional duties related to the violations he is assigned to record, and to the Legislation whose implementation he is assigned to monitor; 2. have the required qualifications and experience that are relevant to the Legislation whose implementation he is assigned to monitor, and the capacity to ensure that the Persons to whom that Legislation applies are in compliance with its provisions; 3. have a thorough understanding of the Legislation whose implementation he is assigned to monitor; 4. successfully complete the prescribed training courses; 5. not have been convicted of a felony or other crime affecting honour or trustworthiness; and 6. meet any other requirements determined pursuant to the relevant resolutions of the Chairman. b. Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-paragraph (a)(1) of this Article, a Government Entity may grant law enforcement capacity to any of its employees or of the employees of another Government Entity, upon agreement with the officials in charge of that entity, even if their professional duties are not directly related to the violations they are assigned to record. This may be resorted to where the number of employees with relevant professional duties are related to said violations is insufficient, or for reasons related to the qualifications, competencies, and expertise of the employees requested to be granted the law enforcement capacity, or due to the specific nature of the violations to be recorded.

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Law No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai Page 5 of 11 Requirements for Granting Law Enforcement Capacity to Community Members

Article (7) To be granted law enforcement capacity pursuant to this Law, a member of the community must: 1. not be less than thirty (30) years of age; however, a Director General may, where necessary, waive this requirement; 2. be of good character and repute and not have been convicted of any felony or other crime affecting honour or trustworthiness; 3. have sufficient knowledge in fields related to the work of the Government Entity responsible for implementing the Legislation whose implementation he is assigned to monitor; 4. have the required qualifications and experience that are relevant to the Legislation whose implementation he is assigned to monitor, and have sufficient experience and knowledge as required to record the violations mentioned in that Legislation; 5. successfully complete the prescribed training courses; 6. be knowledgeable in the utilisation of modern technology, including tablets and smart applications; 7. be medically fit and capable of efficiently and effectively performing his duties; and 8. meet any other requirements as determined by the relevant resolutions issued by the Chairman. Contents of the Resolutions Granting Law Enforcement Capacity

Article (8) A resolution granting law enforcement capacity under this Law must contain the following details: 1. the full name of the Law Enforcement Officer; 2. the designation of the Law Enforcement Officer; 3. the name of the entity for which the Law Enforcement Officer works, if he is an employee of another Government Entity or of a private company or establishment contracted by a Government Entity;

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Law No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai Page 6 of 11 4. the profession of the Law Enforcement Officer, or his social status if he is a member of the community; 5. the Legislation assigned to the Law Enforcement Officer for the purpose of recording the acts or omissions that constitute violations thereof; and 6. any other details determined by the SLC. Obligations of Law Enforcement Officers

Article (9) Subject to disciplinary, civil, and criminal liability, as the case may be, a Law Enforcement Officer must: 1. comply with the provisions of the Legislation in force, including the Legislation whose implementation he is assigned to monitor and, while performing his duties, follow the procedures stipulated therein; 2. verify that the natural and legal Persons to whom the Legislation applies fulfil their obligations thereunder and under other Legislation issued in pursuance thereof; and are in compliance with the provisions thereof; 3. record the violations he is assigned to investigate and collect relevant evidence and information, whether using traditional or electronic means, in accordance with the procedures adopted in this respect; 4. receive reports and complaints relating to the violations that he is assigned to record in accordance with the procedures adopted in this respect; 5. take the procedures and measures required to preserve the evidence related to any committed violation; 6. prepare fact-finding reports in which the measures taken by him are stated; 7. maintain professional integrity and honesty, impartiality, and objectivity; 8. produce evidence of having law enforcement capacity when performing his duties; 9. not use his law enforcement capacity to achieve personal goals or benefits for him or for any other Person; 10. maintain strict confidentiality and not disclose any information to which he has gained access by reason of performing duties as a Law Enforcement Officer, whether during his service period or thereafter, except as mandated by law. In particular, a Law Enforcement Officer must not:

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Law No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai Page 7 of 11 a. copy, retrieve, transfer, or disclose any information or documents to which he has gained access by reason of performing his duties; b. use the information to which he has gained access in the course of performing his duties for unauthorised purposes; c. misuse the information he obtains in the course of performing his duties; or d. allow any unauthorised person to access the information or documents related to his duties. and 11. comply with any other obligations prescribed by the SLC pursuant to the resolutions issued by the Chairman, or determined by the Director General in the resolutions he issues in this respect. Powers of Law Enforcement Officers

Article (11) A violation report prepared by a Law Enforcement Officer must contain the following essential information: 1. the identifying details of the violator; 2. the details of the committed violation;

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Law No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai Page 8 of 11 3. place where the violation has been committed; 4. the facts, measures taken, and time and place of such measures; 5. the violator’s signature, if the violation report is prepared in his presence. Any refusal to append signature will be stated in the report; 6. the statements and signatures of witnesses, experts, and interpreters, if any; 7. the name and signature of the Law Enforcement Officer; and 8. any other details required pursuant to the relevant Legislation, or determined pursuant to the relevant resolution of the Chairman. Evidentiary Value of Violation Reports

Article (13) a. A Law Enforcement Officer may utilise modern technologies for the purpose of recording and documenting violations, and verifying the validity of the actions taken by him. Such technologies may include smart applications, artificial intelligence systems, sensors, cameras, drones, and other similar tools, provided that their use is approved by the concerned Government Entity. b. The Chairman of the Executive Council will issue a resolution prescribing the controls, requirements, and regulations for the use of modern technologies by Law Enforcement Officers in recording and documenting violations, and verifying the validity of actions taken by them, with the resolution also ensuring compliance with the Legislation in force and protecting the privacy and personal information of individuals. c. All procedures and measures related to detecting and recording violations, collecting evidence, and identifying the violators through the use of technological means conducted in accordance with to the controls and requirements referred to in paragraph (b) of this Article, as well as the data and images obtained through these means, will be deemed lawful, carry full legal effect, and be admissible as evidence against the violator.

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Law No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai Page 9 of 11 Arabic as Authoritative Language

Article (14) a. All procedures for evidence collection, investigations, and violation reports must be recorded in Arabic. However, these reports may also be recorded in English if the Law Enforcement Officer is not proficient in Arabic. b. If the Person accused of the violation, a witness, or any other person required to give statement in the course of collecting evidence or conducting investigation is not proficient in Arabic, the Law Enforcement Officer must seek assistance from a certified legal interpreter. However, the Law Enforcement Officer may also take such statements in a language other than Arabic with which he is familiar, provided that he is proficient in the language of the violator, witness, or other person. c. If the Person to whom a violation is attributed, a witness, or any other Person is mute, deaf, or incapable of verbal communication, questions must be provided in writing, and their responses must be recorded in a document attached to the violation report. If written communication is not feasible, a sign language interpreter must be engaged. d. In the absence of an accredited legal translator, a Law Enforcement Officer may seek assistance from any Person who is proficient in the language of the violator, witness, or other person, provided that he takes an oath to interpret with utmost honesty and integrity. Performance Assessment for Law Enforcement Officers

Article (16) a. Any affected party may submit a written grievance against a Work-related Offence attributed to him in a violation report, within thirty (30) days from the date of being notified of the contested Work-related Offence. This grievance must be submitted to the Director General of the Government Entity to which the violation report relates. b. The grievance must include the following information:

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Law No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai Page 10 of 11 1. the name, capacity, address, and contact details of the grievant; 2. the name and address of the respondent Government Entity; 3. the grounds for the grievance, accompanied by the supporting documents; 4. the claims of the grievant; and 5. the names of the witnesses, if any, invoked by the grievant to corroborate his grievance. c. The grievance will be considered and determined by the concerned Government Entity in accordance with the Legislation in force in the Emirate within the time frames and following the procedures it approves in this respect. The decision issued by the concerned Government Entity on the grievance will be final and not subject to appeal or challenge under any procedure of administrative review. However, the grievant will retain his right to take recourse to courts to appeal the contested decision. Revocation of Law Enforcement Capacity