Police Response in Kuwait (via OSAC)
Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) maintains a visible police profile with uniformed and plainclothes officers deployed in key locations for response and deterrence. Each district and governorate has police stations operating under the direction of the MOI Directorate of Public Safety.
U.S. citizens are subject to the country’s laws and regulations, which can differ significantly from those in the United States. Violating Kuwaiti law can result in detention, arrest, prison sentence, fines, and/or deportation. Examples of crimes include possession, use, or trafficking of illegal narcotics, pork, firearms, counterfeit goods, and alcohol.
Photographing government and public buildings, military installations, and economic infrastructure, particularly that related to the oil industry, is against the law. Humiliating/insulting a person, including a police officer or a public official, is a crime similar to disorderly conduct or harassment in the U.S. Proselytizing is prohibited for all religions except Islam. Non-payment of traffic violations or other outstanding debts owed to Kuwaitis may result in travel bans preventing individuals from exiting Kuwait.
If arrested or detained, U.S. citizens should request to speak with the duty officer at the U.S. Embassy through the switchboard operator at (965) 2259-1001. Do not assume your arrest has been reported to the U.S. Embassy. A consular officer will visit the U.S. citizen within 24-72 hours of the initial notification.
Dial 112 to contact police, fire, and ambulance emergency services. Police response to requests for assistance to Americans is generally good. U.S. citizens who do not speak Arabic should request assistance from a bilingual Arabic/English switchboard operator. Be mindful that emergency switchboard operators do receive prank calls frequently and may hang up, if they do not understand the caller. In such cases, callers are advised to call again.
The police accept crime reports at the police station with jurisdiction over the area where the crime occurred. If filing a crime report, it is advisable that the U.S. citizen be accompanied by a person who speaks Arabic and/or by a local attorney; all testimonies must be rendered in Arabic. Filing a crime report can take several hours, as a police investigator will take the victim’s statement orally while composing his investigative report. Although many police investigators are fluent in English, those who do not speak Arabic should be reminded to have an Arabic translator present. In all cases of abuse, the victim must obtain a medical report from a Kuwaiti hospital in order to file a police report.
Source : OSAC
Kuwait News
- Events in Kuwait
- Egyptian couple may be deported for a phone call
- 6 days to register for amnesty
- 500 Pakistani violators of Residency Law benefit from amnesty
- Father sexually assaulted his two daughters in return for simple gifts
- Domestic service hire to cost sum of KD 990 – Rates fixed
- Income Tax, Zakat Tax to be implemented shortly
- Remittance tax on Expats approved – Bill must win government approval
- 40 violators arrested
- Several People killed in Fatal Bus Crash
- ‘Vote’ today on proposal to impose taxes on expats
- Pakistani biker killed in hot chase by drunk Kuwaiti man
- Two Kuwaitis sentenced to death by hanging
- KD 3 license fee for building parking sheds
- Death penalty for Lebanese man for murdering Filipina
- 100,000 people hold fake Kuwaiti citizenship
- Temporary work permits of 100 days
- Kuwait Motor Town Race Circuit
- Four ladies caught indulging in prostitution
- Students and teachers fainted in School
- Bid to ‘close’ commercial shops before midnight
Filed in: All • Expats in Kuwait • Info • Local News
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
