Dubai: Residents of Jumeirah Park have raised their concern over poor security in the community after more than half a dozen incidents of theft were reported in the area.
Located behind Jumeirah Lake Towers and bordering Jumeirah Islands and Meadows, the area is often praised to be one of Dubai’s family-oriented communities. However, with the increasing number of robberies — specifically after the New Year — residents are requesting for a gated community with round-the-clock security.
An official of Dubai Police told Gulf News that some residents reported a few minor thefts in the community but there was nothing to worry about.
- Nakheel
“We recorded a few minor thefts and we are investigating the matter in coordination with the community’s developer,” the official said.
Talking to Gulf News, B.B., an American resident at Jumeirah Park, said her lawnmower was stolen from her garage sometime last week. “I realised it was gone when I hired a gardener and wanted to show him where the lawnmower was kept. The theft most likely took place in broad daylight, because we have three dogs that would have barked during the night if they had seen someone stealing the lawnmower,” she said.
Living in the community with her husband and two children for more than seven months, B.B. said she reported the theft to the community’s security who she said “were not helpful”.
“I strongly feel that a gated community would be the only solution to the problem. We are planning to install security cameras on our premises but I don’t think it will help. My neighbour’s security camera was recently stolen from their garage door,” she said.
Responding to the complaints, the community’s developer Nakheel said: “Safety and security are paramount at our communities. We continue to review our security requirements at Jumeirah Park, and are naturally cooperating with the police during their investigations into this matter.”
M.M. from Lebanon, a resident of the community for just months, has raised his concerns about safety and security in the area. Living with his wife, a baby daughter and nanny, M.M. was shocked to see video footage of men entering his house at night and stealing cash from his wallet and his wife’s purse in the first week of March.
“We have a low resolution video camera that we use to monitor our baby. After going through 14 hours of video footage, we were able to find the exact time when the thieves came. We have reported the incident to the police, who have been extremely helpful,” said M.M.
He called for either a gated community or internal security to help improve safety in the area. “I will now have to invest on security cameras in my villa,” said M.M.
M.G., an Indian resident, said his racing bike worth Dh3,000 was stolen from his garage on February 3 during the evening hours.
“It happened while we were having dinner. The incident was recorded on my CCTV, which showed it happened at 7.52pm,” he said.
Just like many other residents in the area, M.G. said he feels the community is in urgent need to be transformed into a gated one with security guards at all entry and exit gates. “Nakheel should install CCTV cameras on the streets to deter such incidents and ensure Jumeirah Park is a safer place to live for our kids and for us,” he said.
S.M. from Jordan said he was surprised to find the cash from his wallet and his sister-in-law’s purse stolen at night.
“We checked the main door and we found out that we forgot the keys in the outside lock — so most probably someone opened the door and entered the house to steal the cash,” said S.M.
S.M. was told by Nakheel’s security there were no cameras in the area that could help confirm the theft.
A similar incident took place at the house of M.I., another Jordanian resident, when Dh12,000 was stolen from his wife’s purse.
The couple had installed movable IP cameras at their house, which they realised were missing the day the theft took place.
“It is worth mentioning that I didn’t close the door to the garden that night — something we’ve done before as we used to feel that these things never happen in Dubai especially when we are all inside the house,” said M.I.
He pointed out that after reporting the incident to the authorities, police said the main suspect was our maid, who was known to us for years. “We have never had any incidences with the maid, and she repeatedly asked us and the police to take the fingerprints from the purse and the door,” said M.I.
When M.I. was told that in order to take the case forward, his maid would have to undergo interrogation, he decided to drop the complaint.
“We have decided to move out from Jumeirah Park as I am a frequent traveller and my wife doesn’t feel safe in the house,” added M.I.
