Law
No. (19) of 2024
Regulating
Law
Enforcement Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai[1]
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We,
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai,
After perusal of:
Federal
Law by Decree No. (31) of 2021 Issuing the Crime and Punishment Law and its
amendments;
Federal
Law by Decree No. (38) of 2022 Issuing the Criminal Procedure Code and its
amendments;
Law
No. (22) of 2015 Regulating Partnership between the Public Sector and the
Private Sector in the Emirate of Dubai;
Law
No. (32) of 2015 Concerning the Official Gazette of the Government of Dubai;
Law
No. (8) of 2016 Regulating the Grant of Law Enforcement Capacity in the
Government of Dubai and its Implementing Bylaw;
Law
No. (5) of 2021 Concerning the Dubai International Financial Centre;
Law
No. (26) of 2023 Concerning the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai;
Decree
No. (22) of 2009 Concerning Special Development Zones in the Emirate of Dubai;
Decree
No. (23) of 2014 Establishing the Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate
of Dubai; and
The
Legislation establishing and regulating free zones in the Emirate of Dubai,
Do
hereby issue this Law.
This
Law will be cited as "Law No. (19) of 2024 Regulating Law Enforcement
Capacity in the Emirate of Dubai".
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. |
This
Law aims to:
1.
ensure the proper implementation of
the Legislation in force in the Emirate;
2.
ensure that Law Enforcement Officers
are following proper procedures;
3.
enhance community engagement and
promote Partnership between the Public Sector and the Private Sector in
managing public facilities in the Emirate; and
4.
empower
community members to support Government Entities and to
actively contribute to the control of acts or omissions that constitute breaches
of the Legislation in force in the Emirate.
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.
a.
Law enforcement capacity will be
granted to, or revoked from, any Person in the categories specified in
paragraph (a) of Article (4) of this Law, pursuant to a resolution issued by a Director
General in coordination with the SLC.
b.
Resolutions grating or revoking law
enforcement capacity under this Law will be published in the Official Gazette.
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.
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.
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;
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.
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:
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.
For
the purpose of performing the duties assigned to him under to this Law, the
resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, and other Legislation in force in the
Emirate, a Law Enforcement Officer will have the powers to:
1.
where required, seek assistance from police personnel;
2.
where required, seek assistance from experts and interpreters;
3.
hear and record the statements of reporting Persons and witnesses;
4.
conduct inspections, request clarifications, and access authorised
places to collect information related to committed violations; and
5.
exercise with any other powers determined by the SLC pursuant to
the relevant resolutions approved by the Chairman.
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;
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.
Unless
otherwise proven by the violator, a violation report prepared by a Law
Enforcement Officer, as well as all the information contained therein, will carry
evidentiary value.
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.
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.
The
performance of employees of Government Entities and private companies and
establishments, as well as community members, who are granted the law
enforcement capacity in accordance with the provisions of this Law and the resolutions
issued in pursuance hereof will be monitored and evaluated pursuant to the
relevant resolution issued by their respective Directors General.
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:
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.
The
requirements and procedures for revoking the law enforcement capacity granted
under this Law will be determined pursuant to the relevant resolution issued by
the Chairman.
With
the exception of the resolutions which the Chairman of the Executive Council or
the Chairman is authorised to issue under this Law, a Director General will
issue the resolutions required for implementing the provisions of this Law.
These resolutions will be published in the Official Gazette.
a. This
Law supersedes the above-mentioned Law No. (8) of 2016.
b. Any
provision in any other Legislation is hereby repealed to the extent that it
contradicts the provisions of this Law.
c. The
implementing bylaw of the above-mentioned Law No. (8) of 2016 and the
resolutions issued in pursuance thereof will continue in force to the extent
that they do not contradict the provisions of this Law, until new superseding
resolutions are issued.
This
Law will be published in the Official Gazette and will come into force on the
day on which it is published.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Ruler
of Dubai
Issued
in Dubai on 4 September 2024
Corresponding to 1 Rabi
al-Awwal 1446 A.H.
©2025 The Supreme Legislation Committee in the
Emirate of Dubai
[1]Every effort has been made to produce an
accurate and complete English version of this legislation. However, for the
purpose of its interpretation and application, reference must be made to the
original Arabic text. In case of conflict, the Arabic text will prevail.