Following a recent burglary, Qatar residents have been told to store valuable possessions in the bank when going abroad instead of keeping the items in their homes.

The advice comes after the recent arrest of a man who confessed to stealing QR5 million worth of diamond and gold jewelry and watches from the home of a Qatari national.

His home had been burgled while he was out of the country, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) said in a statement yesterday.

It said that the “Arab man” was arrested following a CID investigation after the robbery. He reportedly admitted to stealing some of the items, while the remainder was found at his home.

A photo posted by the MOI showed the man sitting with a haul of more than 60 items of jewelry including gold and diamond necklaces, rings, earrings, watches, bangles as well as bundles of cash and two handguns.

He has now been referred to the public prosecution, which ordered his detention for four days pending investigations.

In a statement, the ministry advised residents to properly secure their valuables, especially when traveling.

“CID urges citizens and residents not to leave any money or valuable holdings inside the house while traveling outside the country rather keep it in the bank.

In case of any difficulty to deposit them in banks, they are advised to inform the CID or the nearest police station about his travel period in order to facilitate monitoring the area by security patrols,” it said.

Reported crime down

Although Qatar’s population continues to increase by around 9 percent a year, its crime level remains relatively low.

Figures released earlier this year by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics indicated that the number of crimes recorded by officers across the country has fallen dramatically in recent years.

The official figures suggested crime peaked in 2010 and has since been declining.

Between 2010 and 2014, the number of reported crimes in Qatar fell from 61,481 cases to 39,810. The MOI said the crime rate fell a further 3.5 percent in 2015, but did not state the actual number of reported cases.

Still, there are periodic reports of house break-ins. Last October, the MOI announced it had foiled a burglary ring of four women, who were charged with with theft following several reports of gold jewelry being stolen from residential flats.

And last March, a British resident warned against becoming lax with security measures after his villa in Ain Khalid was broken into during the night while he and his family slept.

“It’s true there is very little crime here, but there is still crime. These things can happen. It’s easy to get complacent. No matter how safe you feel, you still need to be aware and vigilant. You can’t take security for granted,” he said at the time.

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