Atraveller who accidentally left her handbag behind at Dubai Airport shortly before flying out of the country has been reunited with it, after Dubai Police safeguarded the bag and all of its contents until she returned.

The bag contained cash, a smartphone and several valuable personal belongings. It could easily have been the start of a story about a holiday ruined. Instead, it became the reason the woman took to social media to thank the UAE, Dubai Police and the officers who helped her.

The General Department of Airport Security recovered the bag, completed the necessary verification procedures and contacted the traveller, even though she had already left the country.

Expert Brigadier Hamed Al Hashemi, Director of the General Department of Airport Security, said the woman had left her handbag at the airport by accident just before departing.

"She immediately contacted the relevant authorities at Dubai Airport to report it missing, and we began the necessary search, follow up and verification procedures," he said.

Once the bag was located and secured in line with established procedures, the officers got in touch to tell her it had been found. Then came a choice.

"We offered to send the bag to the country she had travelled to or keep it safely until she returned to Dubai," Al Hashemi said. "She preferred to collect it upon her return, and when she came back, the bag was handed over to her with all of its contents."

Al Hashemi said Dubai Police is committed to strengthening the sense of safety and security among travellers who come to the city. He said such efforts reflect Dubai's global standing and embody the values of honesty, responsibility and rapid response that underpin Dubai Police operations.

For the traveller, the experience clearly left a mark. In a social media post, she thanked the UAE, Dubai Police and the personnel who helped her, praising the high level of safety she experienced along with the professionalism and conduct of the officers.

She said the incident had reinforced her confidence in the UAE's high standards of safety and security, and in the care taken to protect the belongings of residents and visitors.