Sloppy security worries Jumeirah Islands residents

Dubai: Jumeirah Islands residents are calling for screening of vehicles at the community's entrance gates after a case of near abduction and a serious car accident.

"There are two entrances with security checkpoints in Jumeirah Islands. Although three to four men are always present, they do not screen all the vehicles that entert. There are no barriers at the two security points," said Kamal Kotecha, a 47-year-old British resident of the development.

No one questioned XPRESS journalists when they drove into the development. "In recent months, we have had two incidents where a girl was almost abducted and a near fatal accident when a boy fractured his skull. Many peddlers selling pirated DVDs, vacuum cleaners, etc, also enter our community. We need strict measures of control regarding who enters. After the accident, Nakheel beefed up security measures, but we think the security is back to being sloppy again," said Kotecha.

Puneet Kapur, another Jumeirah Island home owner, said quite a bit of traffic within the community comes from residents of other communities who use their roads for easy access to the Jebel Ali area. "Anyone can enter our development without being questioned by the security. They just have to drive a fancy car and have a family with them. No questions are asked. The guards don't even record the vehicle numbers, which is a serious breach of security."

Short cut

Kapur said: "Gate 1 of Jumeirah Island entrance is near Jumeirah Lakes Tower, while Gate 2 is close to Al Khail Road, Spinneys, Meadows and Springs. People use our roads as a shortcut into other areas." Speaking to XPRESS, the owners said they are in touch with Nakheel to help residents set up an Interim Owners Association.

When XPRESS contacted Nakheel, a spokesperson said: "There is a security gate at the main entrance of the community where cars get screened. Residents are given stickers to put on their vehicles for easy entry. Cars without stickers are stopped for screening. We have recently implemented measures to further control entry into Jumeirah Islands community. The incidents reported of entry to non-residents are minor in general and similar to those reported in other communities across the city. We are constructing security gates equipped with security barriers and CCTV cameras that record all vehicles' plate numbers.

"We have no evidence available in hand on any near abduction case. We also don't have any reports about near fatal incidents."