Dubai: Dubai Police on Monday launched a month-long campaign against fireworks following the seizure of thousands of boxes last year and warned violators of jail sentence and fines.
The ‘Stop! Stay Safe’ campaign aims at creating awareness on dangers of fireworks, officials said, adding that it can cause life-threatening injuries. The campaign will emphasise the fact that using fireworks is an offence in Dubai, officials said.
The announcement comes just two weeks after police seized 50 tonnes of fireworks from two villas in Ras Al Khaimah. Four suspects were running this illegal business from their villas in Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain, an officer said on May 15.
The fireworks were recovered after suspects posted a video clip on social media showing themselves inside their villa with huge boxes of fireworks.
An undercover officer saw the video and reported the incident to CID. A police team managed to identify the two Emirati suspects, both aged 18, and arrested them. The two guided the police to a villa in Ras Al Khaimah, where they had stored the prohibited items.
On Monday, officials said the campaign, running under the theme ‘Make celebrations playful, not painful’, will begin on June 1 and continue through Ramadan. It will target the age group of six to 20 year olds, as they are the most frequent users of fireworks.
The campaign will include several activities, including awareness stalls in malls, brochures and social media posts.
Brigadier Abdullah Ali Al Gaithi, Director of General Department of Protective Security and Emergency at Dubai Police, said, “Fireworks are powerful enough to cause serious lifelong injuries to their users and innocent bystanders. Avoiding their use is a moral, social and religious duty,” he said.
In 2015, Dubai Police seized 4,658 boxes of fireworks, a significant drop from 9,554 in 2014. Al Gaithi, however, said, “There is a marked increase in the use of fireworks. This phenomenon causes extreme danger and it is our duty to prevent it,” he said.
Last year, 135,000 people interacted during the campaign on social media. “We do not have exact figures of how many children were injured due to fireworks, as parents tend to hide the real reason behind their children’s injury when asked by the hospital in fear of being held accountable,” he said.
Colonel Khalil Obaid Al Bishri, Director of the Explosive and Security Department at Dubai Police, said, “Role of families is imperative in ensuring that children do not use fireworks. Parents allow children to use these explosive items without understanding the dangers. Using fireworks may start out as a fun but it can easily end in permanent disability or death.”
Fireworks are considered “explosives” and are illegal and punishable by law, he emphasised.
Al Gaithi said that in previous years, many people cooperated with them and reported shops selling illegal fireworks.
“We have honoured those people as an incentive for those who cooperate,” he said. The Department of Economic Development also conducts periodical inspections to crack down on those who sell fireworks illegally.
The only legal fireworks sold in the country are big fireworks, which are not sold to individuals and used for large celebrations. Those selling them obtain permits from authorities, including the Ministry of Interior, and are heavily regulated to ensure correct storage and transportation.
Fireworks can cause severe burns, permanent disability and permanent hearing difficulties. Injuries include ruptured eyeball, burns to the eyes and face, cut eyelids, corneal abrasions and loss of fingers or limbs.
The law states that if a person is caught selling fireworks without a license he will serve a jail sentence of no less than six months and/or have to pay Dh10,000.
Even if a person has a licence to import fireworks he cannot sell them or store them without permission from the police or other relevant authorities, and in this case, he will serve no less than three months in jail and/or pay a Dh5,000 fine.
Al Bishri said that in 2014 they noticed a surge in the number of Indians playing with fireworks in their building especially during Diwali, which led the department to carry out an awareness campaign. “We realised that maybe they did not know it was illegal. It was very well-received and we noticed a significant decrease after that. We did not fine anyone, but we warned them,” he said.
