Dubai: From a necklace worth more than AED 2 million to a Rolex watch valued at AED 150,000, Dubai Police has reunited thousands of residents and tourists with their lost belongings – including some who had already left the UAE without realising they had misplaced them.Speaking to Emarat Al Youm, First Lieutenant Reem Al Housani, Head of the Communications and Complaints Follow-up Section at Dubai Police's Lost and Found Department, said the force has returned 6,040 lost items to their owners over the past five years."Some people didn't even realise they had lost their belongings," she said. "Their reactions were incredible when they discovered their valuables were safe."Smart delivery service for lost propertyAl Housani said Dubai Police introduced a home delivery service for recovered items after noticing the difficulties people faced in travelling to collect their belongings, particularly those who had already left Dubai or were unable to visit in person.Once an owner is notified that their item has been found, they can access a dedicated online portal to choose a delivery location and time. The item is then delivered directly to them, wherever they are.Previously, owners had to visit either the Lost and Found Department or the location where the item was found to retrieve it.First Lieutenant Reem Al HousaniHow Dubai Police verifies ownershipThe verification process depends on the type of item.For official documents, identifying the owner is generally straightforward because they contain personal details. For other items, whether valuable or ordinary, owners must provide proof of ownership, such as accurate descriptions or details from the lost property report. A field team then verifies the information before releasing the item.Al Housani stressed that the department treats every lost item with equal importance, regardless of its financial value."Someone may lose something inexpensive, but to them it could be an irreplaceable memory," she said.Dubai Police maintains a secure storage system for cash, jewellery and other valuables.A poem of gratitudeOne case that remains memorable for Al Housani involved an old mobile phone with no SIM card or identifying information.Despite the lack of clues, the team continued searching until they identified and contacted the owner.The man was so moved that he wrote a poem dedicated to the team, explaining that poetry was his most treasured possession and the best way he could express his gratitude.One platform for all lost property in DubaiDubai Police's Lost and Found Department, established in 2015, has created a unified platform that consolidates lost property from across the emirate, including hotels, shopping malls, airports and government entities.The platform now includes around 1,600 strategic partners, providing a single channel for reporting and recovering lost items.Previously available only to partner organisations, the platform is now open to the public, allowing anyone who finds a lost item to register it electronically and follow the process until it is returned to its owner.What happens if an item is never claimed?The department follows the UAE's lost property law, which gives owners three months to claim their belongings.If an item remains unclaimed, it may be sold through a public auction in accordance with legal procedures. However, the financial proceeds are retained for three years, allowing the rightful owner to claim their money during that period.Stories behind the recoveriesAl Housani recalled a tourist who lost a necklace worth more than AED2 million.The woman was astonished when Dubai Police contacted her to say the necklace had been found and safely stored until it was returned to her.Rolex watch found after road accidentLieutenant Sami Al Houti, who has spent about 31 years handling lost property, said one of the most memorable cases involved a woman from Eastern Europe who lost a Rolex watch worth around AED150,000.After returning home, she and her children were involved in a road accident. She assumed the watch had been lost during the crash.Dubai Police later traced her identity and informed her that the watch had actually been found in Dubai. At first, she struggled to believe it.According to Al Houti, she said that had she lost the watch in her own country, she doubted she would ever have recovered it.French purchase helps identify Russian touristAnother case involved a Russian tourist who lost a luxury watch worth around AED40,000.The Dubai Police team initially contacted the retailer's Dubai branch but discovered the watch had not been purchased in the UAE and the owner's details were unavailable.Investigators then contacted the retailer's international branches until they traced the purchase to a store in France. That information enabled them to identify the owner, contact her and return the watch.Even a coffee cup matteredAl Houti said the value of lost property is not always measured in money.He recalled one person who reported losing a coffee cup worth only a few dirhams because it held deep sentimental value.The owner's joy upon learning it had been found, he said, was no different from that of people recovering expensive jewellery.In another case, a visitor from a Gulf country lost an item belonging to his wife.When Dubai Police informed him it had been recovered, he booked a flight to Dubai, collected the item and returned home the same day—even though the cost of the trip exceeded the value of the object itself.For him, Al Houti said, the sentimental value far outweighed its monetary worth.High-security storageAl Houti said Dubai Police maintains a secure storage system for cash, jewellery and other valuables.Cash is stored in dedicated safes until it is returned to the owner or transferred to the government if no owner can be located. Jewellery, luxury watches and other high-value items are kept in separate high-security vaults.The department's treasury is also equipped with a modern device that examines and classifies gold and jewellery, ensuring valuable items are properly safeguarded until they are reunited with their owners.
