Travelling these holidays? How to get your home secured with Dubai Police

As you pack the suitcases for your summer holidays, make sure you set off on your trip with a peace of mind.

This not only includes having all the necessary travel arrangements in place, but also ensuring that you've taken the right steps toward keeping your home secure while you are away.

The best way to prevent a break-in while you are on holiday is by applying for a free security service to protect your house, by linking with Dubai Police through internet.

Anyone owning or renting a villa in Dubai can apply for the service. All you need to have is a valid UAE ID Card, active email and a duly filled application form.

The procedure is rather simple and involves Dubai Police contacting the applicant to confirm the request; sending a preventive police patrol to the residence to study the location; and securing the premises by preventive police patrols until the return of the applicant from his/her vacation.

Meanwhile, you can also follow a few safety tips that can avoid these nasty surprises on your return. Property developer Emaar is circulating a home safety checklist for residents.

Start with your doorstep

Nothing is more of a giveaway than old newspapers piled outside your door; so put your subscription on hold for the duration of your holiday. You could also ask a neighbour to remove anything else that gets dropped on your doorstep.

Keep the lights on.

Consider putting your lights on a timer so it appears someone’s at home. But if you’re going to do this, make sure you shut the blinds so you’re not obviously lighting up an empty house.

Don’t be too ‘social’ about it

Limit how many people know you’re leaving. You’ll probably need to set up an out of office message on your work email, but avoid doing the same on personal emails or voicemail, or broadcasting it to your followers over the social networks.

Better ‘safe’ than sorry

Use a good quality safe to store any valuables and important documents that you’re not taking with you. You can buy one at most hardware stores.

Turn off appliances

Appliances left on standby use electricity all the time, which can add up to a significant amount if you’re going away for several weeks. Turning them off is not only better for the environment, but will also eliminate the chance of anything catching fire. Make sure you switch off any thing you don’t need.