Sharjah Police have urged motorists to be more responsible with their belongings as valuables left behind in their vehicles would be at their own risk.

In a month-long awareness campaign launched under the slogan ‘Your belongings are your responsibility’, the Sharjah Police said motorists would do well to take precautionary measures, including installation of vehicle alarms.

Brigadier General Yousef Obaid bin Harmoul, Director of the Comprehensive Police Stations Department at the Sharjah Police General Command, said that the move is in line with the Ministry of Interior’s strategic aim to further enhance safety and security of the public.

Awareness videos are being put out in three languages – Arabic, English, and Urdu – on social media platforms of the Sharjah Police.

Brigadier Bin Harmoul said, “Motorists should take necessary preventive measures by ensuring that the doors and windows of their cars are closed, and vehicles’ engines are not running. To prevent thefts, valuables and cash should be kept in safe places and a vehicle should be parked safely, especially when its owner is out of the country for long.”

He pointed out that a few thefts that have come to their notice were because of the car owners’ negligence.

The modus operandi of the thieves is simple. “Usually, they break the triangular glass on a car window to open doors of a vehicle and steal whatever valuables they can lay their hands on. At times, cars are left unlocked by owners near supermarkets, bakeries, houses, public facilities, or isolated areas. Such negligence gives a windfall opportunity to thieves,” he said.

He urged the public to contribute towards enhancing the sense of security among members of the community by calling on 999, 901, or toll-free number (Najeed) 800151 to report any crime or abnormal or suspicious behaviour.