People in the UAE feel free to go about their lives without the fear of being assaulted or robbed. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
People in the UAE feel free to go about their lives without the fear of being assaulted or robbed. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Perceptions of crime in the UAE contrast with the reality



One of the many benefits of living in the UAE is that the country enjoys a low crime rate compared with the rest of the region, and the world in general. While no country is entirely without crime, people here should feel free to go about their lives without the fear of being assaulted or robbed.

It comes as a surprise, then, that a survey conducted by YouGov for The National, published in today’s news pages, found that almost a third of the respondents believe crime is a problem across the UAE, and that 45 per cent said they were either very or fairly worried about becoming a victim of crime. Twelve per cent of the 1,008 people surveyed said they felt that crime was a “very big problem” in the UAE, with a further 18 per cent citing it as “quite a big problem”. The rest thought, correctly, that crime was not a major problem.

Indeed, official statistics show that the UAE is very safe. According to a 2011 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report, the murder rate is 0.8 per 100,000 people in the UAE, compared to a rate of 1.0 in Saudi Arabia, 4.2 in Yemen, 5.0 in the United States, 3.4 in India and 7.3 in Pakistan. A 2013 US Department of State report on cities worldwide placed Abu Dhabi at the “low end of the spectrum” in terms of overall crime rate, noting that violent crimes and crimes against property are infrequent and, when they do occur, weapons are rarely used.

The YouGov survey reveals some valid concerns about perceived societal problems. Many respondents were worried about crime caused by drugs, alcohol, unemployment and family breakdown. They also perceived risks emanating from the divide between rich and poor, and a lack of discipline among young people.

Of course, we should all be vigilant about the possibility of crime. That includes taking sensible measures to protect our property from theft – for example, by locking the house when we go away and not leaving valuables in parked vehicles – and making sure that vulnerable family members and friends feel safe and secure.

Concern about our shared community is a positive and laudable thing but, as the majority of people surveyed have acknowledged, we certainly have no reason to live in fear, or to stress about something that probably will never happen. As one survery respondent said: “This is an absolutely safe country. Being a victim of crime is the last thing on my mind.”

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
If you go

The flights 

Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.

The trip

The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore  offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.

The hotel

There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.

 

 

Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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MATCH INFO

Everton 2 (Tosun 9', Doucoure 93')

Rotherham United 1 (Olosunde 56')

Man of the Match Olosunde  (Rotherham)

The Bio

Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride

She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.

Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years

Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves

She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in