Dubai's Criminal Investigation Department says police have detained 79 people, mostly foreigners, over the past two weeks for indecent behaviour on several public beaches. Zuhair Haroun, a police spokesman, says they were picked up by police for "disturbing families enjoying the beach" with their behaviour. Haroun did not elaborate on the nature of the acts in question. Thousands of European and Asian expatriates live and work in Dubai, one of seven semi-independent states that form the United Arab Emirates, a conservative Muslim country. Foreigners hugely outnumber native Arab citizens in Dubai, the region's business hub and an increasingly popular destination for Western tourists.