DUBAI // Police are stepping up their beach patrols to stop an increasing number of men taking pictures of sunbathing women.
Plain-clothes officers and security cameras will also be used to help maintain the privacy of women at the city’s beaches.
Beachgoers say many of the men they have approached while taking pictures with their smartphones have appeared to be unaware that it could lead to a fine, jail or deportation.
The problem is high on the agenda for Dubai Police, said the head of its maritime division, Maj Ali Al Naqbi.
“This is not our core business but we are working hard to stop this problem,” he said.
“Some men pretend they are coming to take pictures of a famous building or the beach, when in fact they are taking photos of women instead.
“We can see the men who are not there to go for a swim or enjoy the beach. We can tell from their body language. We have seen so many cases. It is getting worse.”
Tourist safety officers, accompanied by police in kanduras or other civilian attire, regularly patrol public beaches to step in if necessary.
Police also patrol the sand and shoreline in marked vehicles and have advised people against bringing valuables, to minimise the risk of thefts.
“Some people bring two or three phones, cash and wallets to the beach. That is a risk, particularly if they are left on the beach when they go for a swim,” Maj Al Naqbi said.
Security cameras trained on beach areas are also linked to the nearest police station in Dubai Marina, which will enable officers to respond to any suspicious activity within minutes.
Natalina Morotti, 35, an Italian civil engineer who lives in The Greens, said: “I know that this is happening, I see it a lot. If anyone takes my photo without my permission I will ask them to stop.
“It is not dangerous but it makes me feel uncomfortable. It is a problem for a woman, but I do feel safe here and the police are always around.”
Mary-Grape de Castro, 29, from the Philippines, goes to the beach at Jumeirah Beach Residence or Jumeirah once a week.
“We came in after work and there were some men taking photos of us,” said Ms de Castro, who lives in Motor City.
“I asked them to stop and tell them they shouldn’t be doing this kind of thing. When I asked the man to delete the photo, he said he was just taking a picture of me from the side view. I told him it was my privacy and he should stop.”
Women who have been photographed without permission are advised to contact police with a description of the offenders.
Slovakian tourist Martina Stugiekoua, who was visiting Dubai for a week with her friends, said she was happy with the level of police protection.
“I feel safe here in Dubai and the beaches are very nice,” Ms Stugiekoua said. “There are lots of men on the beach. Some are in groups but it doesn’t seem to be a problem.
“If I see them trying to take photos of either me or my friends I will tell them to stop.”
Anyone who tries to take photos without permission will face penalties, Maj Al Naqbi said.
“We have the authority by law to stop anyone from taking photos and check their cameras. Nobody can run away from the police.”
nwebster@thenational.ae
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How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
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