Poetic Justice

At the press conference convened yesterday to announce the capture of the Wafi City Heist Gang, Dubai police chief Dhahi Khalfan Tamim may have surprised some observers by breaking out into poetry. Quite rightly celebrating the force's considerable achievement in bringing the gang to book in record time, he once again brings a splash of colour to an event which would have been a drabber affair without his presence.

Today, his poetic words are being carried widely by the Arabic language radio stations and now, exclusively, I can share them with you in English too.

Shortat Dubai takbod 3ala el 3isaba

Wa to3eed el almas las7aba

Wa fee kabdatoha al mojrimeen wal mal li arbaba

(The above is in 'MSN Arabic' - 3 is pronounced a'a and 7 is ha)

In English:

Dubai Police caught the gang
And returned the diamonds to their owner
And the money will go back to the proprietor

Which is nice, isn't it?