Dubai Police warn households against hiring illegal workers

Senior officer says 90 per cent of thefts from households are related to undocumented staff

Home burglaries are not common in Dubai but police are eager to keep residents and their belongings safe. Getty

Residents hiring undocumented staff in homes and businesses are being urged by Dubai Police to stop, after illegal workers were blamed by a chief officer for the majority of household burglaries and thefts.

Maj Gen Jamal Al Jallaf, director of the Criminal Investigation Department at Dubai Police, said hiring illegal workers to attend to homes was behind 90 per cent all thefts in villas in the emirate.

“What’s shocking is the owner goes for vacation outside the country and leaves the house with the illegal worker,” he said.

The force did not provide The National with further statistics on villa burglaries in Dubai in recent years.

Maj Gen Al Jallaf said people were afraid to report a burglary because they fear the fine of Dh50,000 ($13,615) for employing illegal workers.

He said some homeowners reported such crimes "without providing enough details about the illegal worker as they only know their names. It is a challenge for our work to bring them to justice.”

Col Adel Al Joker, assistant general director of the General Department for Criminal Investigation Affairs, said that despite awareness campaigns, people were still being hired without the right documentation to work in the UAE.

“Unfortunately people still recruit illegal workers to work in their villas, such as housemaids, farmers or drivers,” he said.

Col Al Joker said that after a theft from a household, it was not uncommon for Dubai Police to find out that the illegal worker had a relationship with the thief and helped them break into the villa.

“The illegal worker either provides a copy of the villa keys or details about the entrances to the burglars after the owner left for vacation.”

Runaway domestic workers pose a security risk to society and their employers, he said.

“They choose to escape from their sponsors to work at different households under fake names and without legal documents, which makes it easier for them to commit a crime.”

Col Al Joker urged the public to report all runaway domestic workers immediately and avoid hiring them.

During Ramadan last year, the force arrested 948 domestic workers of various nationalities who had absconded as part of a campaign against those who breach the employment contract for domestic workers.

Home security programme

In an attempt to slash burglary rates, the force have urged villa owners to register in the emirate's home security programme.

The system links security cameras and motion sensors placed in homes with the police control room, allowing officers to take swift action when intruders strike.

For no cost, officers will pass by properties registered on the programme when homeowners are away.

For a fee, cameras will be installed and monitored by police when owners are away.

An updated version of the programme link the houses through the smart app to the Dubai Police command room.

“Owners can register to monitor the premises of their houses with full privacy. The Command Centre will receive a notification if there was any intruder and will send a police patrol,” said Maj Gen Al Jallaf.

He said the aim was to reduce burglaries in Dubai villas to zero.

Residents can sign up for a Dubai Police app to notify officers when they will be away for prolonged periods so homes can be monitored.

Homeowners can also track surveillance footage on their phones.

The system works in collaboration with Etisalat, which installs home security systems such as cameras and sensors.

“Home thefts are not a major security concern to us because they are not widespread," said Maj Gen Al Jallaf. "Despite this, we are still working hard to spread a culture of prevention."