Sharjah Police Force
The Sharjah Police Force was established in the year 1967 by the then ruler of Sharjah, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, to provide security to the Emirate of Sharjah.
History
On the background of the increasing civil unrest in Aden Colony, and a decision by the British Ministry of Defence to vacate British base from Aden in 1966 and its movement to Sharjah, the British asked Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi to establish an organized force to help maintain security in Sharjah. Sheikh Khalid appointed a British officer to lead the force, a Jordanian officer as a deputy, and 50 men of his personal guard in November 1966. Sharjah Police Force was then officially established in September 1967 by a decree from Sheikh Khalid.Departments
Sharjah Police manages public security across the city and emirate of Sharjah, including the East Coast cities of Dibba Al Hisn, Khor Fakkan and Kalba. It consists of three organisational units, the General Directorate of Resources and Support Services; the General Directorate of Central Operations and the General Directorate of Police Operations. These report to the Commander in Chief and Deputy Commander in Chief. Sharjah's Amiri Guard reports directly to the Commander in Chief, while the Media and PR Department, Correctional & Punishment organisation department and the Police Research Centre report to the deputy commander-in-chief.General Directorate of Resources and Support Services
The core administrative resource for Sharjah Police, this division includes human resources, financial affairs, electronic services and communications, support services and the Police Training Institute.General Directorate of Central Operations
Central Operations manages the traffic and patrols department, vehicle and driver licensing department, operations and the special tasks department, based in Al Mirgab.General Directorate of Police Operations
The General Directorate manages the Eastern and Central Region police departments as well as the Criminal Investigations Department, the Drugs Enforcement Department, the Community Police Department, Airports and Border Patrol Police and the Police Stations Department.Operations
Sharjah Police operates a network of stations in the city of Sharjah and the central and eastern regions of the emirate, including Al Heera; Al Gharb; Wasit; Industrial Area; Hamriya; Saja; Dhaid; Madam; Mileiha and Thameed, as well as stations on the East Coast at Wadi Al Helou; Nahwa; Dibba, Khor Fakkan and Kalba.Narcotics
Although the crime rate in Sharjah and the UAE in general is extremely low, Sharjah Police have conducted a wide range of operations against narcotics smugglers, including the seizure of 19 kg of heroin leading to the arrest of six smugglers in July 2018. A further haul the same month yielded 20 kilograms of hashish, 1,300 Tramadol pills and 50 grams of crystal meth and led to the arrest of three smugglers.Financial Crimes Unit
Established at Buhaira Police Station in 2015, the Financial Crimes Unit manages arbitration in financial disputes and cases, returning as much as Dhs 37 million per quarter to complainants. In Sharjah, issuing a cheque without sufficient funds to cover can lead to a criminal case being filed. The Unit aims to avoid cases being filed related to financial disputes wherever possible.Online Crime
Part of the remit of the CID is online crime in Sharjah. In 2015/16 alone, 214 cases were registered and 239 suspects were taken into custody for online crimes, ranging from bank account fraud to blackmail. Cybercrime or fraud is punishable in the UAE under federal law No 5 of 2012 with 'a prison term of not less than one year and/or a fine of not less than Dhs250,000 and not more than Dhs1 million'. In 2016, Sharjah Police held a forum on cybercrime and in 2018 the force embarked on a major awareness campaign to warn young people of the dangers of online extortion through social media.A scheme to link bank ATMs directly to Sharjah Police was announced in 2018 in a bid to reduce a number of ATM robberies taking place, particularly in the city's industrial areas, where a large number of workers congregate.
In February 2018, Sharjah Police arrested a Pakistani national accused of carrying out a Dhs2.5 million bitcoin fraud.