How to secure your UAE home before leaving for vacation

Dubai - Authorities always urge people to guard their homes properly.

 As many residents travel abroad for holidays during the summer months, safety of vacant homes come up again as a serious issue.
Authorities always urge people to guard their homes properly using safe locks and to keep their valuable items in secure boxes to protect them from theft and damage when travelling out for long summer holidays.
Through their social media accounts, including Twitter and Instagram, the Abu Dhabi Police have issued advisory notices to citizens and residents travelling abroad for long holidays that they should be keen on the safety of their homes. Besides locking the house properly, they should also make arrangements to keep away newspapers from the doorsteps.
In the past, there were many cases of theft and house break-ins, especially during the summer vacation 
"People moving out to visit friends and families should not leave their homes unsecured. They should lock the doors of their houses firmly and properly for security during their absence while away on a long vacation," the police said on its Twitter account.
"Families should also leave the external security lights on to suggest there is activity around the house," the police said.
People have also been advised not to leave their valuables and jewellery in obvious places. Residents were also warned not to share their travel plans on social media or risk their homes being targeted by thieves while they are away. They should also avoid posting information or photos while on holiday.
The police are always keen to carry out initiatives to educate people about the means to secure their houses, as a part of their efforts to enhance collective responsibility on the need to combat burglaries.
Security firms do their part
Amir Azid Rahman, administration manager at Spark Security Services in Abu Dhabi, said the firm is always keen to ensure the safety and security of people and their properties in the buildings where they are contracted to provide security.
He said their employees make sure that families travelling for long holiday inform their security team prior to their journey.
"We remind people going for long holiday to properly lock the doors and windows of their homes and to leave the security lights outside homes on," he said.
"Our security guards ensure that they patrol these houses on a daily basis to ensure that everything is ok. In addition, security guards on duty are very strict on strangers visiting residential buildings. Their ID cards would be checked and actions will be monitored by the guards."
He added that families are also advised to leave their home key with a relative or a friend, so that they check on their homes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Rahman advised people to make sure that all the lights, air conditioners and other electrical appliances and water taps inside the house are switched off before they leave.
"People should also unsubscribe newspapers and magazines for the time they will spend away from their homes to prevent burglars getting attracted by the papers piled-up at the doorsteps," he said. 
Use technology to secure your home
Mohammed Al Mutawa, CEO of AlSaher.com, a security and safety management facility firm in Abu Dhabi, advised that those going on long holidays could use the light timer device that can switch on lights inside and outside the house according to set programmes.
"It is a very useful device for families with medium-sized homes as it will switch on the lights for some time and turn them off at a certain hour as programmed by the owner," he said.
"This can make the thieves feel that some-body is inside the house and thus reduce the risks of possible breakins."
Al Mutawa said his security and safety management firm also provides their clients with a 24/7 AlSaher.com room control system that alerts the firm and the homeowner if there is anything suspicious inside the house.
"This alarm monitoring service is installed in homes and operates through our Alarm Response Centre. "It detects anything that threatens the security and safety of the house and immediately alerts our team at the central monitoring station in case a stranger enters the house, water or gas leakage, electric short circuit, etc," he said.
"We immediately inform the owner of the house if he's away at work and also tell the watchman to check the house or we inform the police about a suspicious incident and provide them with details of the home so they can act quickly."
ismail@khaleejtimes.com