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Gone are the days when mobile phones were a luxury, not to mention the size of a small house, and the Internet was something we had all heard about but no one really utilised.
Following the launch of social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and the more recent Twitter, along with the rise of personal blogs, more people than ever are finding a reason to log on. In 2009, there were 62,160 people aged 18+ who listed their location online as Oman.
So, it is no surprise that as the popularity of these sites increa-ses, so does the way we use them.
Barbara and her husband Adam were asleep when thieves came through the window of their house in Qurm last week. They say there had been seven burglaries in their neighbourhood over recent months and just a few weeks ago their neighbour’s house was broken into, so they were being particularly careful about locking their home.
The thieves stole money from Barbara’s wallet, leaving the credit cards and wallet, but when depar-ting they took the couple’s car keys and drove away the car some time between midnight and 1am.
When the pair woke up the next morning, they realised their Nissan Xterra was gone and reported the incident to both the police and security for their compound.
A few hours later, Barbara sent a photo of the car with a brief message to the chairman of their Off Road Club, who forwarded it to all club members. These people in turn forwarded it to their friends and/or posted it online.
When @Otheroman, not the person’s real name but her online persona, received the news about the stolen car, she wasted no time in posting a message on her personal blog and Twitter page, giving details on the make, colour and registration number of the car.
Otheroman said she chose to tweet – a tweet is a post or status update on Twitter that is 140 characters or less – to her 70 followers, as well as post to the 150 or so people who visit her blog each day, because of a variety of reasons. The initial tweet can also be re-tweeted by followers so that more people see the message.
“I know others would do the same for me if my car was stolen, and it’s an easy way of getting the information out to a more diverse group of people than I can reach through my limited email contacts. Also, the general consensus here is that Muscat is a much safer place than it really is, and as a result, people are more complacent about personal security than they should be.”
Otheroman felt that Barbara and Adam’s chances of finding the car were good given the quick response of friends and family passing on the message.
Luckily the car in question was sufficiently unique to be easily identifiable, and just over two hours after the initial post, Otheroman received a message from @YasserAmeer saying he had spotted the car near Al Sarooj. Following confirmation that it was indeed the car, and after the completion of police paperwork and fingerprinting, the Nissan was released to the owners around ten hours after being reported stolen.
This way of using social networ-king to help inform people about crime and incidents is something Otheroman intends to do again. “It will only work for issues that can be verified, not for hearsay or rumours, and for items that are easily spotted. For example, if it had been a white Toyota Echo that was stolen, I don’t think we would have had any chance of recovering it as quickly, or via social media.”
Tariq Talib al Balushi is another person whose life was made easier by developments in technology after his car was stolen in Ruwi last week.
At around 8am he left his car outside an insurance office to pick something up and upon his return realised it had been stolen. He registered the theft with the police and sent an SMS to all his friends. Twelve hours later, Tariq received a phone call from one of his colleagues, who had spotted the car in the Muttrah area.
After going to the scene with his friends, Tariq found the car and decided to wait with his friends for the thief to return. After a six-hour wait, the thief returned and the group intercepted the man and took him to the police station. Tariq said it was his wide network of friends and the SMS that helped him recover the vehicle, but he also praised the good work done by police – that night, he had found many officers out in the area searching for his car.
One family that has not been as lucky so far is hoping social networking site Facebook will help find their stolen 2003 dark grey Land Cruiser (registration 28991B), which has been missing since January 14. The Al Magenis’ car was stolen around 500m from their home in Ghubra North while Suleiman al Mageni was using it to drop off a TV at the repair shop.
Suleiman said, “I parked on the side of the road, put my hazards on and called the shopkeeper to take the TV. I followed him into the shop to show him what was wrong with it and when I turned around the car was gone.
“There were many people sitting outside the shop but none of them paid attention to who had got into the car and driven off. It’s strange that someone would think to steal a car in such a busy area.”
After reporting the incident to the police, Suleiman waited for his family to come and take him to the police station so he could make an official report. He tried to look around the immediate area and asked people he came across but no one had seen the car.
Suleiman’s daughter decided to start a Facebook group called ‘Help me find my stolen car’ so they could inform friends and family what had happened.
Suleiman said, “Everyone tells us the best chance of finding it is to get the message out and hopefully someone will spot it and inform us. So far we haven’t had any luck though.”
He also said that previously he thought the area was very safe but will be more cautious in the future. Suleiman thinks awareness campaigns should be introduced regarding personal security.
The family has had two false sightings of the car; but both cars had different plate numbers.
“I would just like to inform all residents to be aware and cautious with their belongings. I never used to think twice about leaving my car on or keeping my house door unlocked but after this incident I am more careful with every move I make. In case anyone spots the car, they can contact the police or me directly on 99838007.”
Some names have been changed to protect their identity
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