Did you lose something in Dubai? There’s an app to track it

People will soon be able to fast-track lost and found items by taking photographs and sending them to a smart application by the Dubai Police.

Dubai — People will soon be able to fast-track lost and found items by taking photographs and sending them to a smart application by the Dubai Police.

The police are set to launch the service following the announcement last week of the Lost and Abandoned Property Law by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Jamal Al Jalf, Deputy-Director for Criminal Investigation for the Monitor and Control Department, said the Dubai Police will provide a website for enquiry about found items, and people can find a serial number or description of their items. “They can then directly go to the police station and claim it,” he said, adding that the website will also show lost documents, money or gold.

He said the value of lost and found items and confiscated goods at Dubai International Airport reached Dh1,170,000 last year. Major Hamad bin Deylan Al Mazroui, Director of the General Department of Airport, said the value of confiscated items alone was Dh930,000.

He explained that confiscated items means items that are banned. Found items also include those that are abandoned by passengers due to excess luggage. He said such items are taken to warehouses and subject to an e-auction.

He added that the items are sold as part of the Dubai Police’s auction and the remaining items like clothes and food stuff are given to charity associations.

Al Mazroui said the airport department already has an e-system for lost and found items which is available on the iPad in English and Arabic. He said the Dubai Police started implementing the system since 2013.

Colonel Khaled Nassir Al Razouqi, Director of the General Department of Smart Services, said the Dubai Police also get in touch with the RTA as most people forget their valuables in taxis.

According to the new law, those who find lost property or money must hand over the items to the police within 48 hours. The person who has found lost or abandoned property is entitled to receive a 10 per cent reward of the total value of the items submitted. And if nobody claims the lost items, the finder can claim it within a year.