Dubai: An English version of ‘Police Stories’ is set to launch in the coming months, as part of a police initiative to turn crime episodes into stories that will thrill readers.
Inspired by crime novelist Agatha Christie, Dubai Police said they have issued three books titled ‘Police Stories’ already and will release the fourth book soon so the public can read crime stories written by Dubai Police officers.
Captain Abdullah Mohammad Al Saadi, Director of Sports, Social and Cultural Activities at Dubai Police Officers’ Club, said the police officers, taking a cue from what they observe in their daily lives, decided to give a go at fiction writing.
“We started a contest last year to select the best stories written by [our] officers and we choose 100 stories written by 100 officers. There are four [compilations] containing 25 stories in each edition. The stories are all in Arabic currently but there will be an English translation of the first edition which is expected to be released in the coming months to cater to the English-speaking readership,” Captain Al Saadi told Gulf News.
Following a suggestion in 2006 by an insider in the police force to have officers share their stories through fiction, Dubai Police, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, has released three books since 2008, each book representing a colour of the Emirati flag to lend the entire endeavour a national identity.
“The books aims to educate the public through exciting stories that hold an element of suspense. It will help highlight the officer’s role in enabling and upholding security across Dubai. We fight crime through education and reading,” Captain Al Saadi added.
When members of the public read the books, they will be able to ascertain how a crime occurs. “It is also useful for new police officers to be able to recall a story when they face a crime mystery,” he said.
Each book will be of 350 pages, and the fourth and final edition will be ready by April. The third edition was released in October 2015, during the 8th edition of the Dubai Police Book Exhibition.
Arabic versions of the first three compilations will be distributed for free through the Dubai Police stand at the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature, taking place from March 3 to 11 at Intercontinental Dubai Festival City.
The books also aim at being a reference tool for future students of criminal studies.
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