Dubai: Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT) residents have welcomed Nakheel’s move to beef up security in their area by turning it into a gated community. But they stressed that more can be done to keep their neighbourhood completely secure.
In a statement sent to Gulf News, a spokesperson from Nakheel said: “Nakheel is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for Jumeirah Village residents. We are strengthening security by fencing the community and installing access control systems at each entrance/exit. Each gate will have a gatehouse with barriers equipped with an access control system.”
Jumeirah Village is a major development located off Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Al Khail Road. It has more than 6,000 spaciously constructed villas and townhouses spread through the north and south part, where Jumeirah Village Circle and Jumeirah Village Triangle are located.
JVT residents lauded the news in their community group on the social networking site Facebook, describing the development as “positive news,” “a move towards the right direction,” and “good news as long as it actually happens in a reasonable time frame.”
The spokesperson said Nakheel is currently in the procurement phase for the necessary materials for the project. No time frame for the construction was available at the time of going to press.
“It’s [fence system] gonna solve the potential threat of strangers wandering around where there are children playing outside and pets roaming freely. Having that defence mechanism to keep people who don’t need to be here or strangers away is fantastic news,” Lola Lopez, a JVT resident of almost two years, told Gulf News.
But Lopez said putting up fences and installing access controls are not enough.
“We need to see them improve security internally before we can believe our problems are solved,” Lopez said.
JVT resident Abdu (full name withheld on request) also shared Lopez’s sentiment. “When we see it, then only can we comment if we will feel safer or not. One can never know at this point,” he told Gulf News.
Abdu has reason to question the security in his community after an unfortunate incident last year. A gang abducted Abdu’s one-year-old Japanese Akita in front of his house in August last year. He was able to retrieve his dog 20 days later after it was put up for sale by the gang.
The same incident happened with Abdu’s neighbour a day after his dog was abducted. Abdu said the dog owner was quick to snatch her dog back from the gang members.
“Right now there’s no security at all. Yes, there are security guards patrolling the area but they are not really keeping the place as safe as they should,” Abdu said, adding many non-residents freely come in and out of the community on a daily basis.
