Thefts targeting goats and cattle have come down by 50 per cent in Sharjah during the last eight months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Statistics issued by the Central Region Police Department revealed that from the beginning of Ramadan month to Eid Al Adha, only one case of theft was reported - which involved a sheep. During the same period last year, seven thefts of cattle and sheep were registered.

Col Harran Mubarak Al Jazie, director of central area police, attributed the decline of such crimes to efforts of the Central Region Police Department. "Police set up security plans which resulted in the significant drop," he added.

He said that considering the damage caused to the owners of livestock in the area by such spate of thefts, the police deployed security patrols around the barns and farms. They also organized awareness campaigns to educate owners of the farms about precautionary measures to prevent cattle thefts which increase during Ramadan and before Eid Al Adha.

In many cases, the thefts take place due to negligence of the owners who should take precautions to protect their property by prohibiting access to their farms by strangers and keep monitoring their cattle and sheep herds, he said.

He urged the barn and farm owners to continue to cooperate with police and follow their instructions.

Source: Khaleej Times