SHARJAH, 15 June 2007 — Vacationers who fear that their houses will be burglarized while they’re away might be relieved to hear about Dubai Police’s initiative to clamp down on the robbing of empty homes.
Launched a few years ago, the Safe Home Program has proven to be a success when it comes to reducing the number of break-ins. The program aims at increasing police patrols in neighborhoods, particularly during the summer vacation.
Brig. Abdul Jalil Mahdi, director of Preventative Security at Dubai Police, said that the percentage of burglaries in comparison to other crimes is very low and that most cat burglars are opportunists rather than seasoned criminals.
“Most of those who commit burglaries are laborers, maids or juveniles,” he said. Mahdi said that this program is free of charge and anybody can apply. Much like similar programs in some neighborhoods in the United States, homeowners simply inform their local authorities when they are leaving for extended period of time. This allows police to pay special attention to these unoccupied properties, and to investigate if they sense anything is amiss.
“Homeowners can submit their applications online or they can get hard copies in English or Arabic from any police station,” said the brigadier. “A special team is handling the project. They process the e-mail, contact the applicants and coordinate between police stations and the applicants.” The police keep the homeowner’s details on their database and patrol vehicles maintain 24-hour vigilance near unoccupied homes.
“We aim with this program to cut down on the number of burglaries,” he said. “It’s a crime that doesn’t pose grave financial losses to the victims since most vacationers keep their valuables safely stored away.” Nevertheless, Mahdi says that being burgled is an experience that leaves victims feeling violated an unsafe in their own homes. “What we want to curb is the psychological effect,” he said. “They feel that their sanctuary has been violated.”
Police also recommend that families inform trusted relatives or friends to check their homes while they are away. This provides added security and increases the chance of discovering a break-in sooner rather than later. “This helps the police a lot in case a theft takes place, as time is of the essence,” he said. “The sooner the police are informed about the incident the better.”
Mahdi said that the chances of catching a crook within 24 hours after the crime is committed is about 30 percent; that chance of catching the culprit doubles to about 60 percent within 12 hours of the crime being discovered.
