Police launch safety and awareness campaign to keep homes safe during summer holidays

23 Jun Police launch safety and awareness campaign to keep homes safe during summer holidays

Abu Dhabi Police have launched their ‘Safe Summer’ campaign to teach residents about the preventive and safety measures they need to follow to keep their homes safe during summer holidays.

The force said they will be coordinating with several government bodies to carry out initiatives to educate people about the best ways to secure their houses. The campaign comes as a part of their efforts to enhance collective responsibility on the need to combat burglaries and prevent home fires during summer.

The campaign is set to continue throughout the summer months and it urges residents to work with the police in preventing crimes and following security advice and guidelines.

To safeguard homes against crimes such as burglaries or incidents including fires, the authorities have urged people to use safe locks and to keep their valuable items in secure boxes to protect them from theft and damage. In their statement, the police said: “Families travelling for long summer holidays should properly guard their homes using reliable locks.”

They added: “Residents should install surveillance cameras in their homes, as well as alarm monitoring systems that can alert security operatives and other homeowners of any suspicious movement inside or outside the house.”

Authorities have also issued advice for families to request relatives or neighbours to remove newspapers and brochures from their doorsteps daily, which can indicate a property is uninhabited. Leaving outside lights on has also been advised as police explained: “In addition, they should leave some outdoor lights on to suggest that there’s a sort of activity around the house.”

Social media has also previously been shown to alert thieves that a property is vacant, so families and residents have been urged to not share travel plans and thus make their homes easy targets for burglars.

Fire safety has also been urged, with residents taking responsibility for ensuring their homes meet fire safety requirements during the hottest months of the year. The police said: “High temperatures may result in fire incidents, so residents must take extra precaution.”

Authorities said residents should check for faulty wiring at home and should avoid using plugs with loose wiring and cheap cable extensions.

According to police, several fires have been caused by poor quality electric cables, improper connections done by non-professionals, short circuits and overloading of electric networks.

Authorities have also advised families to switch off air-conditioners and other electricity equipment and close gas cylinders when going out for long trips.

Residents have also been told to check their cooking stoves and electrical appliances and ensure they are in good condition all the time.

“No electrical wires or clothes must be left near stoves or ovens. Grills must also be kept clean as a build-up of fat, oil or food may start a fire,” said officials adding that families should ensure electric like air conditioners should be maintained regularly.

Tips on making your home burglar-proof

How to prevent potential fire incidents

Officials have also reminded the public that they can call 999 or contact the force through Aman phone service 8002626 or send text messages to 2828 for emergencies or to report criminals.