Security fears drive sales of anti-burglary systems

Intrusion detection devices designed to secure homes and commercial establishments are in big demand due to the surge in break-ins reported in the country and the fear factor driving residents to invest in monitoring systems.

Computer hardware retailers suddenly find a new niche in their product-line with many residents, home-owners and businesses going for burglar alarms, and even CCTV monitors to secure their homes or offices from any attacks or break-ins, market sources said.

A case in point is a recent incident when a four-member Indian family was the victim of such an attack by desperados trying to make a quick buck through armed robbery. Recalling the horrifying incident, Baiju, who works for a company in Jebel Ali Free Zone, told Emirates 24|7 how he and his wife fell victims to a violent attack when a gang of four youngsters broke into their apartment at around 5pm one day.

His wife opened the door when the bell rang, only to find the four men barging into the house. When she yelled, they strangled her and gagged her by shoving some cloth into her mouth. “I was in the inner room and when I ran to rescue her, one of them whipped me on the head with a revolver,” Baiju said.

Despite their shouts for help no one, not even the next-door neighbours dared to turn on. The assailants left after a terrifying 10 minutes when they burgled the house of cash, mobile phones and other valuables.

Still recovering from the head injury, he is planning to move out of the twin-apartment accommodation, home for the last seven years, into a safer building with some security features.

With no watchman or security cameras, he said the building was a sure bet for burglars looking for easy catch.
Although having been through four identification parades at the local police station, he was unable to spot any of the men who broke into his house.

Such incidents appear to be on the rise, although some of them could be as small as stealing a gas cylinder as reported recently from a villa in Jumeirah.

Retailers in Dubai told Emirates 24|7 that security gadgets are among the fast-moving products they are busy stocking. “It seems recession has not affected the sale of electronic safety devices,” said Sajjid Ansari, General Manager, HPS (Help, Protect, Secure), a company specialising in commercial and home protection systems.

“There has been an increase in crime rate, especially in areas with villas. Many residents are not averse to spending money on the latest security cameras or video phones to protect their homes,” he said.

The Dubai Police drive to get commercial establishments like jewellery shops, banks, money exchanges and shopping malls to install intrusion-prevention and monitoring systems have also led to a rise in demand.

While the minimum investment to secure a villa is around Dh5,000, it could go up to Dh100,000 depending on how secure the place need to be.

He said even companies these days opt for better security. A video phone that can be fitted to see who is at the door or gate, is available from Dh350. The price can go up to Dh2,000 for these gadgets that comes with screens of between 3.5 inches and 7 inches.

Easy to install, these gadgets are being sold like any consumer electronics. He said sales have jumped by 50 per cent although competition is tough with more than 100 companies in the market. Some IT hardware companies have also added such products to their catalogues to cash in on the demand, he said.

Dileep Lal, Managing Director, Info Care Systems, that deals in video phones, surveillance cameras and burglar alarm systems, also said residents are increasingly buying these products to ensure maximum safety while at home.

Some of these video phones allow users to lock or unlock the main door after ensuring who is at the door. “Several villas have installed burglar alarm systems that will send out a SMS or even make a call to mobile phones in the event of any intrusion,” he said.

There are systems that work on motion-detection technology and that can send alert messages to up to eight different mobile telephone numbers.

Families that leave children under the care of housemaids can also retrieve video footage to ensure the young ones are properly taken care of. He said there was an increase in awareness about such products as people are now buying these products to be taken back to their native countries. The company has started a distribution network in India.

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