Safety in the United Arab Emirates

I have lived in Abu Dhabi for fifteen years, and I have always said that it's a great city to raise children. Or to be a woman who likes to venture along the corniche by herself at night. I have never felt threatened in any way in all those years. Except maybe right after 9/11 when it didn't feel quite safe to live anywhere. I am a man, but still, I know women who feel that this is a safe town, and country. I feel safer here than in New York or Paris or Milan or Timbuktu.

Hi
I've leaved in Dubai for 10 years and never ever felt unsafe. I've never seen any sign of violence or criminal,
I would say UAE is over safe country
Love you Dubai

I've visited more than 25 countries, and am living in the UAE for the past 10 years. I can certify that the UAE can be ranked as one of the safest countries in the world.

the UAE ( Dubai ) is one of the safest places to live in the world. Coming from the UK its great to be able to walk around at night time with my family and feel safe.

UAE- Dubai is a safe place. I say so cause ever since I started working here, never have I been pick pocketed or feel threatened to go out at night. Buses can be Packed up at rush hour and I still feel my wallet and phone in my pocket after reaching my stop. Due to this tourists feel safe when partying out till dawn and walking home.

I have been living in Abu Dhabi for the past 8.5 years, 1.5 years of which in Al Ain, and I am married to a sweet French lady, and we have been to different countries around the world in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and we never felt as safe as when we are in the UAE. This is due to the fact that everyone is under the law, and are treated as humans in this lovely country, and that's why UAE scored among the top 20 happiest countries worldwide:
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report
I would have to write a complete article on this subject to even be near to fair, but long story short I will just leave you with the following video, and you decide for yourself:
Check out this social experiment done in Dubai: - youtube.com/watch?v=MGnn-jpoO48

Maybe it's little, because it's been only 9 months that I'm here in Abu Dhabi, but I can say that UAE is the safest place in the world and we're lucky to be here

I am in Ras Al Khaimah since 1 year .. I did not feel any threat or unsafe condition .. Very few times I have to meet only few locals here , they were very respective and broad minded people ..

I am living in the UAE for the past 26 years. Safest country in the world....

safer compared to other places i know;

Yes its very safe country am living in dubai and i can walk even 3 am alone on street and if am facing any prob police always online

To be honest, I think that a lot of you have just been lucky.  There are a lot of things that go on which you do not hear about in the news as it is bad for business or bad for tourism.  If you only knew how many bombs were found each week (no, the info was not from an expat, but an Emrati working with that government department) and how much illegally forced labor there is, you might think differently.  I myself had several bad experiences where I did feel threatened and very unsafe even though with my second job I worked with a government agency and lived an apartment building which had security.  Even just driving the road from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and back as a female in the vehicle alone seemed to be an issue for some male drivers at times as they would pull in front of me and slam on their brakes or try to run me off the road.  (And no, I had done nothing to deserve such actions.)  That demonstrates only 2 minor types of incidents compared to others that happened.  It is not nor will it ever be as safe  as people claim.  The funny thing is that no one who is still there can legally tell you it is not safe there... as everything that goes online from anyone in the UAE is subject to the new laws and you can't speak badly of people or the country.  So very glad I got out!

I have lived in the UAE for 14 years. Never worried about crime ever. Never even locked my car. I lived off of Shakbout street. 5mins from SKMC hospital.
Now, it's all changed - I moved out to Khalifa B (cheaper rent)
Since moving out there only 3 months ago --
1. my car has been broken into.
2. My neighbours dog was stolen.
3. A German Shepard adult dog was dumped outside in full view, not covered just discarded,  and left at the side of my house (dead)
4. My garbage is ransacked on a weekly bases. (As if I'm a holiday actress living in Beverly Hills) seriously, no joke!
5. Empty Water bottles placed outside for pick-up have been stolen.
I'm living in an area were all the residents are extremely wealthy. But, there are 100's of labourers working in and around this area on the new houses that are going up. Hopefully, once the area is complete the poor workers will no longer be forced to steal.
So, my mood and feelings towards safety here has definitely changed to say the least.
Which is a very strange feeling living here. As before, I would have argued with anyone to say this was the safest place in the world to live!
I have been forced to install CCTV cameras and sensors lights. And never leave my car unlocked ever!!!

define the level of safety in the United Arab Emirates? 100%
yes i feel safe? I can walk alone without any fear?
UAE first country  one in the middle east for a happy live
why you ask about that?

I have no any trouble in UAE  everything is Ok

I guess i have to agree with "Natsliemtaylor", Safety and Security completely depends upon the Area u r living in... but I would say generally Dubai is quite safe and secure as compared to any other Metro city...

I can say that Dubai is not safe anymore. Cause, several things happened to me before. Like, my bicycle was stolen backside of Al Maya Supermarket in Satwa. I parked it and locked it on the pole, cause i was going to go inside the supermarket. When i came back, my bicycle is gone and the only thing i have seen is the lock which has been broken to get the bicycle. My Iphone was stolen inside my bag when I was buying fruit from one shop in front of Satwa Bus Station, which is very shocking to me cause I cannot believe that Dubai can have such incident. So, I believe that Dubai is not safe anymore.

I have been living in mussafa for 1 year. I got an sexual harassment and some friends also told me like that. I know that people always lookin down to indonesian, bcz many of them is only a maid. But please dont judge like that, not only them is a maid, many of us is educated people also. We have manner. We have good attitude. (sorry to tell you this story), my friend find some pakistani in gift tower (around handan centre) who make them upset, they (pakistan man) rub their penis on my friends, and other friends also got sexual harrasment in taxi. I dont know how to complain if there is something like that happen to us. i realize that they did that bcz some indonesian maid make mistakes. Im so sad, and sometime feel so worried in some place. Even my husband didnt allow me to go out alone or even with my neighbors. Too much risk he said. I hope you all educated people will change your judge tp us (indonesian) that we are human also. Even many of us worked in adnoc and some of us has a good position also.

Sorry to hear about the sad incidents MissAL, being Pakistani its quite disturbing and embarrassing to know that, that immoral n mean guy was from Pakistan...
having said that... I would request you not to stereotype things with nationalities as u ur self said that all Indonesians are not in low scale jobs (though low scale jobs are evenly respectful...) All Pakistanis are not Bad
In Fact Crime sees no boundaries and Nationalities... all humans can equally be dangerous if not controlled by law...

Im sorry again on the sad incidents and I pray n wish that may we all remain safe n sound till we are here

Thank you mr asad, actually i bever want to judge all pakistani like that, im always respect for all people in uae. Bcz i know that im as an indonesia also got some bad stereotype bcz indonesian people also.. Its just to make you all women have to be more aware, becz something like that had possibility to happen from every people in uae.. thanx mr asad..

U r Welcome and Eid Mubarak...

--Cheers

in my opinion, these, cars being broken into, dogs being stolen, fights and sexual harassment..etc, are common domestic issues, which will always be there in every country in this whole wide world.
I believe the definition of safety in the UAE, is the quick response and actions of the Authorities in the UAE, like  Police deps, firefighters...etc.

I think the Justice in the UAE what makes it a safe country.

Hi Sam
I hear what you are saying.
But they are not domestic issues?
I lived in Abu Dhabi city for 15 years. And never experienced anything like I am now experiencing living in Khalifa B.
It all boils down to poverty out here amongst the poor workers that are out here in this area.  100's of them are around building elaborate housing. Poverty & crime tend to go hand in hand.
That's were the issue lies. It's not domestic. It's an epidemic in this area. They are poor and will do anything for extra money. There is NO one patrolling the area - so, this is an advantage. In addition there are NO cctv security cameras out here. Not sure why? As they are everywhere in the city.
What this area is lacking  is neighbourhood watch. (Police need to be patrolling the area.) Otherwise, it will get worse before it gets better. This crime will STOP, guaranteed, once the houses have been completed, but until then......It will be extremely unsafe and unnerving living out here. Like I said....UAE was the safest place I had ever lived. But the questioneer needs to hear all sides. And I am giving my new view from another area of town

It is great to write that information.

I have very good friends from Indonesia well educated and great behavior also I taught many  Indonesian advanced Arabic they are very good people.
Do not worry in every place in the world you find bad people.

Regards

Hi Natsliemtaylor

On behalf of the UAE, I'm sorry to hear what you going through.
Maybe you might like to consider moving to another area.

I cant feel and understand what you experienced here coz I didnt experience it.
But again like I said, crimes are always there every where, but trust me its nothing comparing other places.
And I think Its less here, coz of the power of the police deps and harsh punishment.

the Cops in UAE are only humans, they also need our support to end these crimes.
CCTV is a good idea, and I hope it stops these crimes.

I wish you best of luck

Thank you
Hopefully, it will get better. Moving is not an option for me. 1 year r my paid. And very Difficult to find a place when you have dogs.
But Thanks again for your support.

You are most welcome,

I agree, with family its very hard to keep moving to different houses, Dogs are also family, Which ones you have? I have one too , Alaskan Malamute, when time for me to go on business trip, I panic where to send him. Its a big responsibility and have to consider them in every decision we make.

Never worried about crime ever

Wealth and crime also go hand in hand, bigger crimes in fact hahaha. Just not the crimes youre thinking of. It seems, from the accounts told here that most  are petty crimes. I think it should be rated on comparisons with what happens in our countries of origin and judging from stats and peoples accounts it cant be half as bad as most countries. I may be wrong though.

I visited the United Arab Emirates from November 2014-March 2015.

I would have to say that it is one of the most safest places in the World that I've visited.

There is very little crime and you can definitely walk yourself around both at night or day!

They have a relatvely strict legal system and since most of the people there are Expats, they try to stay out of the justice system's way or risk deportation and long prison terms.

I have found that Alcohol is prohibited and restricted to only tourist areas or bars in hotels.

It is possible to buy Alcohol but you have to have a license or purchase it from Ajman but risk getting arrested as it is illegal to drink in Sharjah where you have to drive through to get to Ajman.

The UAE has very strict laws on the possession of narcotics and you risk getting arrested even if they were legally prescribed and you bring them into the country without letting the authorities know beforehand(this is loosely enforced).

So just them not having to deal with Alcohol and drugs as much takes a lot of crime that we would see in the U.S. And Europe off the table.

I've found that there is little police on the roads and you almost have to kill someone to come into contact with the local police.

That is indicative of the country's relatively high safety, wealth, and basically everyone there to earn an income and the police don't target people like they do back in the U.S. Or Europe.

So in short, I did not even think twice about my safety and my cousin who lives there(for 30 years) doesn't lock her front doors to her villa or the entry gate and I was taken aback by this but realized very quickly why!

It is so darn safe it is creepy to an extent because of all the issues we have in the U.S. And Europe!

UAE is safest country. i have heard this from many people. I want to go there.
But do not know when it would be possible. By reading all above comment i am feeling very happy. Because safety is the big issue where ever we go.

I think that UAE is a safety country.

I lived in Abu Dhabi for 3.5 years.
There was an American woman stabbed to death in our building by a local, so yes, I do think there are seething tensions very close to the surface.
Also, all you have to do is watch the way people drive and treat each other with distain on the roads (jeopardising people's lives on a minute to minute basis) to see a symbol of the tensions which are running through the community.
The people who say it is safe are probably white and living in a high socio economic area (as I was) so are seeing  the situation from a very privileged position. The victim who was targetted in my building was specifically targetted because she was a blonde American, but granted, this was quite unusual and not reflective of the violent crime rate (in privileged Expat living locations), rather it reflects the lack of understanding and respect for cultures living so closely together.
I think the situation is very, very different in lower socio-economic areas like Mussafah where the male to female ratio is about 8 to 1 and many of the people there come from a background with little education or respect for women.
These people, the indentured slaves of the country, generally do not speak English to a functional level and are unlikely to be on this forum due to no access to computers and/or illiteracy, yet account for about 75% of the population of the U.A.E.
Additionally, the largest cause for concern regarding safety are the police and judicial system. You would be safer walking down a dark road in Mussafah than being caught up in that vortex of crazy - especially if you have the wrong passport...

I lived in Abu Dhabi for 3.5 years.
There was an American woman stabbed to death in our building by a local, so yes, I do think there are seething tensions very close to the surface.
Also, all you have to do is watch the way people drive and treat each other with disdain on the roads (jeopardising people's lives on a minute to minute basis) to see a symbol of the tensions which are running through the community.
The people who say it is safe are probably white or/and are living in a high socio economic area (as I was) so are seeing  the situation from a very privileged, elevated position. The victim who I mentioned was targetted in my building was specifically targetted because she was a blonde American, but granted, this was quite unusual and not reflective of the violent crime rate (in privileged Expat living locations), rather it reflects the lack of understanding and respect for cultures living so closely together.
I think the situation is very, very different in or near lower socio-economic areas like Mussafah where the male to female ratio is about 8 to 1 and many of the people there come from a backgrounds with little education or respect for women.
Additionally, the largest cause for concern regarding safety are the police and judicial system, where people are jailed without evidence, charge or due process more than anyone is aware of....
The U.A.E. police have no respect for international law or human rights, very little education, routinely ignore offences by fellow locals including rape and murder, and imprison people for things like having a condom in their bag (prostitute = 7 years), having been in contact with someone in Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood Supporter!), working in a massage parlour (prostitute = 7 years), being pregnant an unmarried (illegal) as well as making up and pinning offences in personal vendetta attacks for their cousin or brother in order to make a troublesome person disappear.
Once you have been noticed by the police for anything, you will not be safe until you are out of that country.

Plus, as mentioned by Hemisphere_Dancer, it is illegal under the 2012 Cyber Crime Laws to use an electronic device to criticise the U.A.E. Government, the culture or a section of people, or be seen to encourage ill-feeling within the country. This is punishable by up to 10 years in jail. Therefore, people who are still living there will self-sensor on public forums like this which will only add to the many positive reviews you will read by people paid to promote the country online.

Finn9 is right.  I lived in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for 2 years.  It can depend a lot upon where you live, but also on your own level of ethics or the ethics of the people the crimes or unethical occurances are being reported to in the end.  Almost all that will be reported on this blog is going to be positive as it is agaist the law for an Emirati, an Expat resident or a visitor (while still in the UAE - do not return if you post negative comments) to report anything negative.  Beware, this does cause this stream of comments to be very one-sided and very positive in the UAE's favor.  No one should take this stream of comments as proof that it is safe nor of a reason to move there.  I saw many horrendous acts against people while I was there and saw the changes that were occurring so I left.  And this was on top of all that happened to me and I was careful to obey the laws.  You can only control what you do and not what others (Emirati or expat) feel they can get away with doing to you.  I never want to go back and there are far too many other countries to explore!  Ask yourself this question... Why do they feel the need to control what is said?  Even commenting on the Emirati woman who stabbed to death the American could land you in jail even though it was all over the news as the laws have become more strenuous.