24.06.2026
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What problem are you facing? You are flying to Dubai and suddenly realise you know absolutely nothing about how the local police operate: which number to call in an emergency, what to do if you are stopped on the road, and whether it is really true that officers there drive Lamborghinis and Bugattis. This is not idle curiosity — not knowing the local rules and customs can turn even a minor misunderstanding into a serious problem, especially in a country with an entirely different legal culture.
What will you get from reading this? In this article you will learn everything you genuinely need to know about Dubai Police: what Dubai Police drive and why their fleet has become a global legend, how the flying police in Dubai work and what they are actually for, how to behave when you encounter a Dubai Police officer and what rights a foreign national has. We will look at the structure of the UAE's security services, provide up-to-date contacts and show you what the police in Dubai are really like — strict but fair, technologically advanced, and surprisingly welcoming to tourists. Read to the end: there is no filler here, only concrete facts and practical tips that will come in useful on your very first day in the country.
Dubai Police is not merely a law-enforcement service. It is one of the most technologically advanced and recognisable police forces in the world, one that inspires genuine admiration even in those who are usually wary of the police. To understand how it is organised today, we need to look at its history and study the available information about its development.
Dubai Police Force was founded in 1956 — long before Dubai had transformed into a metropolis of skyscrapers and tourist flows. At the time it was a small unit created to maintain order in a rapidly growing trading city on the shore of the Persian Gulf.
After the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, Dubai Police became part of the country's unified security system, whilst retaining its autonomy at the emirate level. Today Dubai Police Force reports directly to the ruler of Dubai — Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum — and to the emirate's government.
It is important to understand that the police there is not simply a government body, but an institution directly linked to the ruling dynasty. The department's policy is built on the values of the ruling house and reflects the emirate's general course towards security and openness.
Dubai Police is a sprawling organisation with a clear hierarchy. Its headquarters (HQ) is located in the centre of the city, in the Al Muraqqabat district, and coordinates the work of numerous specialist units. In terms of its structure, it is a fully fledged security organisation with dozens of departments and services.
The main areas of work of Dubai Police Force:
The last point is particularly important for you as a tourist: more than 90% of Dubai's residents are foreigners, which is why the police was designed from the outset to work effectively with people from different countries and cultures.
According to publicly available sources, Dubai Police Force has more than 15,000 officers. This is an impressive figure for a city with a population of around 3.5 million people — approximately one officer for every 230 residents. But it is not just about numbers. The level of technological capability of Dubai Police is unparalleled in the region.
The image was generated using AI technologies
If you were to search for examples of the world's most advanced law-enforcement agencies, Dubai Police Force would invariably appear among the first. The service actively uses:
All of this makes Dubai Police one of the most modern law-enforcement bodies not just in the Middle East, but in the world.
In 2015, Dubai Police Force was ranked among the best employers in the UAE according to local ratings — news of this achievement was widely covered in regional media and confirmed the high level of training and motivation of its officers. Up-to-date news about the department's activities is regularly published on its official website.
If you are accustomed to the Russian or European model of policing, Dubai will surprise you. Officers there are generally polite, speak English and are focused on helping tourists. The service views foreign guests not as potential offenders, but as people who need support in an unfamiliar country.
At the same time, Dubai Police remains a strict organisation with clearly defined powers. The department's internal policy requires strict compliance with UAE law, and ignorance of local rules does not exempt anyone from responsibility. This is precisely why searching out information about local laws and norms in advance is very much in your own interests.
The more information you learn about the emirate's regulations in advance, the more comfortable your stay in the country will be.
Imagine this: you are strolling along the JBR promenade, and a bright-green Lamborghini with the word "Police" on its side streaks past you. This is not a commercial shoot or a private collection — it is an ordinary working shift for Dubai Police.
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The Dubai Police fleet has long become one of the city's main attractions, and there is a perfectly clear logic behind it.
Dubai Police has been building its car collection for years, and today the fleet numbers several dozen supercars, which are regularly updated with new models. Here are the key specimens in the collection:
The combined value of these eight cars alone exceeds $5 million. And this is only part of a collection that continues to grow.
The honest answer: not for high-speed chases. Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world, and high-speed pursuits are a rarity there. Dubai Police supercars serve an entirely different function.
First, they are an image tool. Dubai positions itself as a city of the future, a place where anything is possible. A Bugatti Veyron patrol car on the street tells a tourist more than any advertising campaign ever could: things work differently here; the level here is different.
Second, they engage with the tourist flow. The supercars are stationed precisely where the city's visitors are concentrated: at Dubai Mall, along the JBR promenade, on Palm Jumeirah. Tourists take photographs beside the police Lamborghinis and Ferraris, post the pictures on social media, and the city receives millions of free mentions worldwide.
Third, it is a signal to a wealthy audience. Dubai actively attracts affluent residents and investors. A police Aston Martin One-77 on the street is a message: we understand your language and your values.
What Dubai Police drive is a question that is asked by many tourists even before they arrive. The answer is simple: look for the supercars wherever there are the most people and cameras.
Main patrolling locations:
The image was generated using AI technologies
On weekdays the supercars appear less frequently, but at weekends and on public holidays, they can be seen considerably more often. If you want a guaranteed chance to see the collection in person, visit the Dubai International Motor Show or the special exhibitions where the police traditionally put their entire fleet on display.
It is important to understand that Dubai Police's supercar fleet is not a whim or extravagance. It is a deliberate strategy by a city that is building its brand on contrasts and records. Dubai was the first city in the world to launch jetpack patrols, the first to deploy robotic police officers, and the first to assemble such a collection of supercars in a single fleet.
Every new car added to the collection is a news story that travels around the world's media. Every tourist photograph beside a police Ferrari is free advertising for Dubai.
So when you see a Lamborghini Aventador with flashing lights on the street, bear this in mind: what you are looking at is not merely a vehicle, but one of the most effective marketing tools of one of the most ambitious cities on the planet.
If Dubai Police supercars inspire admiration, the flying police in Dubai is a genuine mind-bending phenomenon.
Imagine: traffic is at a complete standstill on Sheikh Zayed Road, while a police officer on a flying motorcycle simply lifts into the air and arrives at the scene of the incident within seconds. This is not a science-fiction film — it is a real project that Dubai Police launched back in 2017.
Dubai Police did not choose a hoverbike by chance. The Russian company Hoversurf developed the Scorpion model specifically to meet the needs of urban security services. In essence, it is a hybrid of a motorbike and a quadcopter: the pilot sits astride the vehicle whilst four powerful rotors lift the whole structure into the air.
Technical specifications of the Hoversurf Scorpion:
The limited flight time remains the main technical challenge for now. However, engineers are actively working on increasing battery capacity, and each new generation of the device shows noticeable progress.
Dubai is a city of contrasts: ultra-modern skyscrapers sit alongside the narrow lanes of the old Deira district, while large-scale events draw hundreds of thousands of people. This is precisely where hoverbikes and drones prove indispensable.
Main use cases:
Dubai Police also makes active use of drones for surveillance and patrolling. Unmanned aerial vehicles can hover over a designated area for hours, transmitting video in real time to the situation centre.
The flying police in Dubai is not an isolated experiment, but part of a large-scale urban ecosystem. Dubai is investing in the development of flying taxis based on the German Volocopter — an electric aerial vehicle designed to carry passengers without a pilot.
The technologies being tested in police projects, such as air traffic management, safety systems, and navigation in an urban environment, feed directly into the civilian aviation infrastructure.
All of this is part of the Smart Dubai strategy and the national Vision 2030 programme, whose goal is to make Dubai the most technologically advanced city on the planet. The police functions not merely as a law-enforcement body, but as a full participant in digital transformation.
For you as a tourist, this means one thing: the level of emergency response in Dubai is exceptionally high. Advanced surveillance systems, aerial patrolling, and integrated monitoring systems allow the police to reach the right place faster than you can even register that something has gone wrong.
The image was generated using AI technologies
Dubai invests in safety not for the sake of image — it is a real infrastructure that functions every single day.
Suppose you are walking through Dubai Mall and someone steals your bag. Or you witness a road accident on Sheikh Zayed Road. What do you do? The first step is knowing who to call. The good news: Dubai Police contacts are straightforward, and operators speak English, so the language barrier will not be an issue.
Add these four numbers to your our phone's contacts before you even board your flight — it will take a minute and could save you hours in a critical situation:
All calls to these numbers are free from any phone, including foreign SIM cards. Roaming, a prepaid tourist card, a local number — it does not matter. You dial and you get through.
This is an important distinction that many tourists are unaware of. The number 999 is for genuine emergencies: a crime is happening right now, there is a threat to life, immediate help is needed. The operator will connect you with the nearest unit within seconds.
The number 901 is Dubai Police's information and service line. You should call here if you need to report a minor offence, clarify the procedure for filing a report, find out the address of a police station, or get advice. Operators on both numbers speak English, so explaining your situation will not be difficult.
The telephone is not the only channel. Dubai Police is actively developing digital services, and for tourists this is very convenient:
If you need to visit Dubai Police in person, you can head to stations in the following tourist districts:
Addresses and opening hours are best checked through the Dubai Police app or on the official website, as they are updated periodically.
Do one simple thing: open your phone and add the Dubai Police numbers — 999 and 901 — to your contacts right now. Save 998 and 997 alongside them. It will take two minutes, but in a stressful situation you will not be frantically trying to recall the numbers.
Download the Dubai Police app in advance — it works without a local SIM card via Wi-Fi.
Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world, and in all likelihood you will never need these numbers. But knowing them is simply common sense.
Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world, and much of the credit for that goes to a police force that works with precision, professionalism, and — importantly for tourists — a welcoming attitude. But "welcoming" does not mean "anything goes". UAE legislation is strict, and ignorance of the law does not exempt anyone from responsibility — this is a fundamental principle of the local legal system.
The first and most important rule: carry your documents with you at all times. For tourists this means their passport; for residents, their Emirates ID. Dubai Police have the right to check your identity at any time, and the absence of documents can create unnecessary complications even in the most innocent of situations.
If you are driving, add your driving licence and vehicle documents to your passport.
Imagine: an officer has stopped you on the road or approached you in the street. Here is a simple set of guidelines:
That last point is not merely advice — it is a warning. Offering a bribe in the UAE is a serious criminal offence. There is no such thing as "settling things on the spot" — it does not work and will result in far greater problems than the original fine.
Police officers in Dubai are generally well disposed towards tourists and are happy to help with directions, calling a taxi, or any other query. Many speak English, and in tourist areas you may encounter officers fluent in several languages.
Dubai's laws may seem unusually strict to tourists, but there is logic behind them. Order is taken seriously there, and fines are real, not nominal.
Traffic violations are one of the most common expenses for tourist drivers:
But fines in Dubai are not limited to the road. Consuming alcohol in public places is prohibited; you may only drink in licensed establishments, such as restaurants, bars, and hotels. Appearing drunk in a street risks detention and a fine.
Indecent behaviour in public is another area of risk. Loud arguments, obscene language, and excessive displays of affection can all attract the attention of the police. The fine for obscene language starts at 250 dirhams.
Violating the dress code in religious sites — mosques and their surroundings — will also not go unnoticed. Bare shoulders, short shorts, and see-through clothing are inappropriate there. Whether you receive a warning or a fine depends on the situation, but the reputational damage is guaranteed.
The fine payment system in Dubai is convenient, with no queuing or paperwork. You can pay:
Traffic fines are linked to the vehicle's number plate, so you can check them at any time through the app by simply entering the vehicle's details.
Dubai Police is an institution that takes pride in its reputation and values it highly. Respectful conduct on your part is almost always met with the same in return.
Tourists who behave appropriately, are aware of the basic restrictions, and do not attempt to circumvent the rules generally have no issues whatsoever with UAE law. Dubai is made for guests to feel comfortable, and the police there is more of a helper than a threat.
The Dubai Police number is 999, which operates around the clock and calling it is free from any phone. Operators speak English, so the language barrier will not be a problem. For non-emergency situations, use the number 901 — this is Dubai Police's helpline for enquiries and consultations.
Dubai Police drive some of the most impressive cars in the world: Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF, Aston Martin One-77, and Bentley Continental GT. These are not merely display pieces — the supercars patrol tourist districts and take part in real operations. In addition to the supercars, Dubai Police also drives standard Chevrolet Camaros and Toyota Land Cruisers for everyday duties.
Yes, the flying police in Dubai is a reality, not an urban legend. Since 2017, the service has operated single-seat flying motorcycles — the Hoversurf Scorpion — capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km/h and ascending to a height of 5 metres.
Dubai Police is also actively testing other aircraft as part of the smart city programme. The aim is to reduce response times in high-traffic areas to a minimum.
Yes, the police supercars are specifically positioned in tourist zones — outside Dubai Mall, along the JBR promenade, and at other popular locations — for exactly this purpose. Photographing the vehicles is permitted, and officers are generally welcoming about it.
The image was generated using AI technologies
However, photographing the officers themselves without their consent is not advisable — this may be treated as a violation.
Stay calm and present your documents immediately — your passport or driving licence. Speak politely, do not raise your voice, and do not argue with the officer on the spot — this is an important principle when dealing with UAE police.
If you do not understand what you are being charged with, politely ask for an explanation in English. You have the right to request an interpreter and to contact your country's consulate.
The most common fines concern traffic violations, consuming alcohol in public places, and inappropriate behaviour. The fine for speeding starts at 300 dirhams, and for a public display of affection, at 1,000 dirhams.
UAE law applies to everyone without exception, including tourists, so ignorance of the rules does not exempt anyone from responsibility.
Article header image was generated using AI technologies
