Khaled Al Khawaldeh (Abu Dhabi)
The UAE has ranked as the 12th safest country on the recently released Law and Order index by global polling company, Gallup. The country achieved a score of 90, which made it the second safest country in the region behind Kuwait, which topped the global ranking.
The index is based on a broad survey where Gallup posed the question; “Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the area where you live?” to almost 146,000 adults in 140 countries and territories. It also posed questions regarding experiences of theft and confidence of police and used the scores from all questions to create an index score.
According to the poll, 90% of UAE residents reported feeling safe walking alone, the 7th highest score globally placing just behind Slovenia. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Kuwait, which once again topped global rankings, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain all recorded among the highest results globally.
This was indicative of generally improving trends in trust in police and perceived safety walking alone at night across the MENA region since 2006.
Despite the positive results, Gallup CEO, Jon Clifton, warned that current instability and looming threats of state conflicts risked jeopardising safety not just in the region but across the world.
“The world is contending with an unsettling reality: Violence continues to permeate our societies, threatening lives and undermining the foundations of safety and security that are crucial to sustainable development,” Clifton said.
“Exacerbating the global crisis of violence is the growing threat posed by state conflicts. According to the Global Peace Index, there are currently 56 active conflicts worldwide — the highest number since World War II,” he added.
“Ensuring everyone, regardless of where they live, can feel safe and secure in their daily lives is not just a moral imperative; it is the first step to sustainable growth and prosperous societies.”