UAE legal Q&As: Need help with a noisy neighbour?

Q: I

f your neighbours organise loud parties, is it within your rights to complain to police?

A: Noisy neighbours can be quite inconsiderate but, before calling police, it is best, in the first instance, to speak to the neighbours directly. They may not realise that they are being so loud. However, if they do not listen and such behaviour becomes excessive, police can be called to put an end to it, especially if it is complemented by unlawful and illegal acts.

Should the noisy neighbours deliberately and repeatedly not heed concerns about noise, residents can file a police report and the necessary legal action will be taken against the accused, which could lead to the person being prosecuted for creating a deliberate nuisance. The court could then impose a fine on the noisy neighbour, given there is sufficient evidence.

Q: If I am arrested by the police for a not-too-serious matter, at what point should I involve my embassy?

A: Firstly, I would like to point out that UAE law and justice is applicable to everyone who lives in the UAE. You may need your embassy to provide you with a lawyer to defend you or to provide you with help to be released on bail. I think you should contact your embassy as soon as the investigation by police or prosecutor has ended and you come to know whether you need a lawyer or other types of assistance. One must remember, however, that the embassy will not be able to interfere in the legal process.

Q: How can I be sure that, in court, the translator is properly conveying my statements or is telling me correctly what the judge said?

A: The translators appointed by the Ministry of Justice are under oath to interpret and translate honestly, but you can only know for sure through friends, family members or a lawyer who speaks the two languages perfectly.

I would say translators are in need of more in-depth courses in legal translation, and courses where samples from real court files are used to evaluate and correct a translator's performance.

Translators working in languages other than English, French, Farsi and Urdu should also be hired to keep up with the increasing number of nationalities that the courts have to deal with.

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