Dubai Police save 79 kids locked in cars this year

Khaleej Times -- Dubai Police rescued as many as 79 children trapped in locked vehicles since the beginning of this year. The cops have called on parents not to leave their kids in cars alone or unattended since it can turn fatal as there's lack of oxygen inside a closed area.

Lt. Col. Ahmed Ateeq Bourguiba, deputy director of search and rescue department at Dubai Police, said that unattended children may play and fiddle with the car and get locked inside. The air conditioner could stop and pose grave threat of the kids being suffocated to death.

They can also move the vehicle by pressing the start button in the absence of parents, and thus cause accidents, he warned.

Lt. Col. Bourguiba said Dubai Police have tackled 79 incidents of children being confined and trapped in cars since the beginning of this year, stressing the importance of parents' awareness about the dangers of leaving children in cars alone.

He said when people hear stories of children being locked in cars, they think it can't happen to them, but these should wake them up.

Parents were also urged not to be allowing their children enter the swimming pools unattended. They should be accompanied by a person who is able to swim well, in order to avoid drowning accidents.

Lt. Col. Bourguiba pointed out that security and safety requirements ought to be ensured before going to the swimming pools. Safety equipment such as a collar and life jackets are vital before one hits the water. He stressed that swimmers should not rely entirely on the lifesaving jackets without the presence of a life guard or a man who knows swimming well.

Lt. Col. Bourguiba urged the public to call on toll-free number 999 if one encounters any swimming mishap.