UAE Police Call-In Center: What Happens When You're Summoned

If you're getting a call from a Dubai or Abu Dhabi police number asking you to come down to the call in center, your heart's probably racing right now. Take a breath. Most call in center summons are administrative — a complaint has been filed against you, and the police need your side before deciding whether to escalate. How you handle that visit matters more than you think.

Quick answer

A UAE police call in center is the unit that handles initial complaint screening. Someone has filed a report — civil, criminal, or labour-related — and you're being asked to give a statement before any formal case is opened. You're not yet a defendant. You're a "person of interest" or "respondent." Bring your Emirates ID, stay calm, don't sign anything in Arabic you don't understand, and seriously consider calling a lawyer before you walk in. What you say here often decides whether the file gets closed or referred to public prosecution.

What the call in center actually is

The call in center (sometimes translated as "summons section" or markaz al-istidʿaʾ) sits inside each emirate's police directorate. In Dubai, it operates under the General Department of Criminal Investigation at Al Muraqqabat and the satellite stations. Abu Dhabi runs its version through the CID branches in Al Bateen and Mussafah. Sharjah Police handle it through Buhairah Corniche HQ.

Here's what most clients get wrong: they assume a phone call from the call in center means they're already accused of a crime. Not quite. Under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022 on Criminal Procedure, police have authority to summon any person connected to a complaint — complainant, witness, or respondent — for questioning before deciding whether to refer the matter to the Public Prosecution.[1]

A summons can come from a bounced cheque complaint, a workplace dispute, a traffic incident with injury, an online insult report, a tenancy fight that escalated, or a family member's accusation. The call in center is the filter.

Watch out: If the officer on the phone asks you to "just come by for 10 minutes to sign something," assume it will take 4 to 6 hours and may end with a travel ban request. Never go on the same day if you can avoid it.

How the summons reaches you

You'll typically get contacted one of three ways. A phone call from a 901 or local police number. An SMS with a reference number and a station address. Or — less often now — a uniformed officer at your registered address.

The summons is informal at first. Refuse to attend and it becomes formal: a written summons issued under Article 42 of the Criminal Procedure Law, and eventually an arrest warrant if you keep dodging. Frankly, ignoring a call in center request is the worst move I see clients make. It converts a manageable problem into a fugitive problem.

If you're outside the UAE when called, you can request a delay through a Power of Attorney-appointed lawyer, but you cannot give your statement remotely. The questioning has to happen in person.

What to do before you walk in

Three things, in this order.

First, find out the complaint number. The officer should give you a reference — usually a 10 to 12 digit case number prefixed with the year. With that number, a lawyer can pull the basic complaint type from the police system and know whether you're walking into a cheque case, an assault claim, or something else entirely.

Second, gather your evidence. WhatsApp chats, emails, bank transfers, contracts, Ejari (the Dubai tenancy registration), tenancy contracts, medical reports — whatever relates to the dispute. Bring printouts and have the originals on your phone.

Third, get an Arabic-speaking lawyer or at minimum a trusted translator. Your statement will be recorded in Arabic. You'll be asked to sign it. If you sign something you didn't understand and it contains an admission, walking that back later costs you months and tens of thousands of dirhams.

Costs to expect: A lawyer to attend a police call in center session in Dubai typically runs AED 3,000 to AED 8,000 for the initial appearance (2024-2025 market rates). Compare that to AED 30,000+ if the matter escalates to prosecution and you need defence representation. Cheap insurance.

Inside the questioning room

You'll be asked for your Emirates ID, phone number, and address. The officer reads the complaint to you in Arabic. You're then asked to respond, paragraph by paragraph.

Stay factual. Don't volunteer information. Don't try to be charming. Don't argue about what's "fair" — that's not the officer's job. Answer what's asked. If you don't know, say you don't know. If you need to check a document, ask to check it.

Your statement gets typed in Arabic on the spot. Before you sign, you have a right under Article 7 of the Criminal Procedure Law to have it read back to you in a language you understand.[1] Use that right. Every time. Even if it adds 90 minutes to your day.

If the officer applies pressure — and some will — your answer is simple: "I'd like my lawyer present before I continue." That's not a confession of guilt. That's basic procedure, and any decent officer respects it.

What happens after the statement

One of four things, usually within 5 to 15 working days:

The file gets closed at the police level. This happens when the complaint is weak, the parties reconcile, or the matter is purely civil and shouldn't have come to police in the first place. You'll get an SMS or you can check via the Dubai Police app or MOI (Ministry of Interior) services.

The file gets referred to Public Prosecution. You'll receive a second summons, this time to the prosecutor's office. Different game entirely — the prosecutor decides whether to charge you under the Penal Code (Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021) or send the file to court.[2]

A settlement is brokered. For private-right crimes — minor assault, insult, some financial disputes — the police can mediate. If you reach a settlement and the complainant withdraws under Article 17 of Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022, the case typically ends there.

A travel ban is requested. This is the one to fear. For cheque cases, large financial claims, or serious allegations, the police can request the prosecution issue a travel ban while the file is open. Check your status on the MOI website before booking any flights.

For more on related civil disputes that often start at the call in center, see our guides on the civil category.

Your rights — actually used, not just listed

You have the right to remain silent on questions that may incriminate you (Constitution, Article 28). You have the right to a lawyer at every stage. You have the right to a translator if you don't speak Arabic — this is non-negotiable and the police must provide one, though in practice bringing your own is faster.

You also have the right to a copy of your own statement. Ask for it before you leave. Many people don't, and then have nothing to show their lawyer the next day.

One more thing. If you're a woman being questioned, you can request a female officer be present. If you're under 18, a guardian must be there. These aren't favours. They're statutory.

When the call in center matter is really civil

A lot of what ends up at the call in center shouldn't be there. Tenant-landlord fights belong at the Rental Disputes Centre. Cheque disputes under AED 200,000 now go through the civil execution courts in most cases, not criminal prosecution, following the 2022 amendments to the Commercial Transactions Law.[3] Employment money claims belong at MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) and then the Labour Court.

If your matter is genuinely civil, your lawyer's job at the call in center is to politely convince the officer of that, get the criminal angle dropped, and redirect the complainant to the correct forum. It works more often than you'd think.

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Citations

[1] Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022 on the Criminal Procedure Law, UAE Ministry of Justice — https://moj.gov.ae [2] Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 issuing the Crimes and Penalties Law (UAE Penal Code) — https://moj.gov.ae [3] Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2020 amending the Commercial Transactions Law on dishonoured cheques (effective 2 January 2022) — https://u.ae