Yes, the Sharjah Police did help this man get to the airport on time

They drove him along the hard shoulder so that he wouldn’t miss his flight…

Sharjah traffic is no secret, and a man who was running late for his flight almost missed a trip home because of it, until the Sharjah Police stepped in.

Sanil Mathew – who has lived in Al Ain for 10 years – was en route to catch a flight to Thiruvananthapuram from Sharjah. He was just going to Kerala for a whirlwind trip due to an emergency back home.

He left Al Ain at 5pm, thinking he’d get to the airport for 7pm (check in closed at 7.30pm), but then he hit traffic.

Worried that he wouldn’t get to the check in before it closed at 7.30pm (and remember, he was going home for an emergency reason) he called 999 and told them about his predicament. They asked for his location and his vehicle’s details, and before he knew it a Sharjah police patrol car turned up, asked him for his travel documents, and then took him in a convoy along the hard shoulder so that he could reach the airport.

He got to the airport late, and thought he would still miss the flight, but the police had phoned ahead, and another policeman was at the check-in counter to get him through immigration and onto the flight without it being delayed.

“The help you receive once from such a place would make you believe in humanity and God. The generosity of the Sharjah Police is something I never expected or even heard of,” Mathew told the Khaleej Times of the incident. “That gives me a positive feel and fills optimism in my mind.”

Sharjah’s Police Chief told the Khaleej Times that the police force have been told to deal with the public in a humanitarian way: “The police should be available round the clock and be ready to provide help to every needy person. What the police patrols officials did was part of their social responsibility in responding to and solving problems of community members.”

The Sharjah police shared the story on Instagram, and Sanil’s cousin Shibu also told the story on social media in a post that has since gone viral, particularly among the UAE’s South Indian expat community.

Asked by the Khaleej Times why he shared the post about his cousin’s predicament, Shibu said: “I am not comparing the police. But what the Sharjah Police did was unbelievable. In India, you will face the opposite. Instead of helping you, the police will put you in more trouble. That’s my experience.”

But remember, Sanil was heading home for an emergency, and so don’t now rely on the police to escort you to the UAE’s airports – it’s better to just leave with lots of time (and check Google maps for traffic too!).

Head here to watch an interview on Keralan TV with Sanil (in Malayalam).

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Main photo: Instagram/SharjahPolice