[quote=jimi dunn; 1343976]jumped in the taxi, both of use in the back, starting to get cosy with the lady, driving towards the port and 200m later, the taxi stopped and the driver said something i couldn't understand.
the door opened and a local guy, white dishdasha, flashed a card and asked for our ids.
i was in panick mode, litteraly. i started to act like the poor tourist (i always leave my wallet in the car, just keep cash and keys with me)
but obviously, they didn't care about my sorry ass: they were after the girl.
they took the girl in their car and let me go with the taxi.
the taxi stopped 50m away and let me out.
this girl was very hot, very scared and i felt so sorry for her. i was still shaking, thinking about what could have happened if i ended up in jail.
then one day, going down an escalator in moe, who was there going up the other side: the naughty cop.
i got the feeling this guys were not cid.[/quote]damn, you're all heart. every wonder what really happened to her, besides yourself?
your first mistake was "starting to get cosy with the lady" in the taxi. that is stupid, [u]stupid[/u], [b][u]stupid[/u][/b]. that's a crime that you both can be punished for. and could well be the reason you were stopped. being in a taxi with someone of the opposite sex, a non-relative, not a crime, "getting cosy" is. just act like brother and sister, or, in my case, father and daughter.
second mistake was not carrying id. that too can cause problems. simple photocopy of 2 pages: passport "name" page and visa page slips right into your pocket. with those, chances of detention are slim, unless you've broken the law (as in first above). no risk of loss or of bogus "confirep001ion". [i]"don't leave home without it."[/i]
3rd? plain clothes flashed id? sorry, but if you've done nothing wrong, i want to see that id clearly. sure, will probably still be meaningless as i don't read arabic, but i do recognize numbers. you just ask [b]politely[/b], as there are plenty of plainclothes cid around. if nothing else, you call 999 on your mobile, tell them the problem, and ask them to speak with the "official".
bold words, right? especially when written sitting at home. but something similar did happen to me. driving back from the bar, girl in car, zero alcohol in blood. turning onto residential streets, notice car following us, unusual as minimal traffic anyway, and certainly none at 1am. i slow down, they slow down. i speed up, they speed up. got to my street, didn't want "them" to see where i lived, so before i got there, just pulled over to side of road. they stopped, and when obvious i wasn't going anywhere, pulled up next to me. both driver and passenger in some type of uniform, some type of seal on car door, in arabic. passenger rolls window down, i roll mine down, and he says "id".
first words i (and you) speak? "salam allekum", politely. he again asks for my id. i again repeat the words. he speaks with driver, turns back, and responds correctly, "allekum salam". then repeats id request. i say no problem, but first i'd like to see his id (all politely). again, he talks to driver, reaches into glove compartment, flashes some paper, puts it away, and asks for my id. given that a flash of a paper doesn't mean anything, i ask again,"id?", holding out my hand. he pulls paper back out, cracks car door so dome light comes on, and holds it up for me to see. obviously all in arabic, couple of official stamps which very well could have been he paid a parking fine. he asks what i'm doing; i say going home. he asks where, i point to my driveway. he speaks to driver, they pull forward, and i pull into my driveway, they drive off (they spoke minimal english, but certainly more than my arabic). i think they were probably some private security firm, or low level le, more a neighborhood watch.
won't say my heart wasn't beating a bit faster, but given i hadn't done anything wrong, and knew it... you just [b]always[/b] have to be [b]polite[/b] and [b]respectful[/b].
i've had several other encounters with bona fide officials, and found that greeting them, (and the return salutation is mandatory) , being polite, respectful (attitude and demeanor so important) as you ask for clarification, goes a long way in resolving problems, even if you have made a mistake.
you didn't say what heritage you are, and it's very true in non-pc dxb, certain types of couples draw more attention than others, more prone to stoppages... :(
80/20 the stop was legit, but given the things that can happen, i certainly wouldn't let a girl get into a car with some stranger without proof he was legit. like i said, you just make sure you've done nothing wrong (in public, anyway).
and even cid do go out shopping...
