Abu Dhabi surpasses over 300 cities to become ‘safest city’

Safety and security brings stability in life, pointed out Capital residents as Abu Dhabi is again named the safest city in the world.

Abu Dhabi’s safety index rose from 86.46 points for the first half of 2017 to 88.26 points during the first six months of this year, according to Numbeo – a website that curates and collates data to develop the world’s largest user-contributed database about cities and countries worldwide.

The UAE Capital surpassed more than 300 cities including Tokyo, Japan, Basel, Munich and Vienna to top the list as the most secure city in the world.

Saif Saeed Ghobash, undersecretary at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “Safety is paramount when choosing a city to visit or live and work in, and we are proud to be the top of the list for the second year running. Our Capital’s strong reputation for safety and a crime-free society is a testament to the ongoing efforts to establish the emirate as a destination of distinction with international standards of safety.”

And residents, new and old, weren’t surprised by the honour.

Zulfiya Momunova is working in the Capital for the past one year and said staying in a peaceful place raises the standard of living.

“I came here last year from Kyrgyzstan. When you hear about all the violence happening across the world and then you look at this place, I feel blessed to be here. The ‘safest city’ tag is a cool endorsement of the robust security system in place. When you work in a secure place, we will work with ease and do our best. Such factors do play a role in overall productivity,” she said.

Paul Kurian, who lives in the Capital with his family for the last 29 years, said he had never worried about the safety aspect.

“I am a long-time resident and happily raised my kids here. Abu Dhabi is no doubt the safest city. The police here are highly efficient. You can see the robust system in place. I am sure there are many hi-tech systems in place than what meets our eyes. You can also see the number of tourists to this city growing year-on-year,” he said.

Sabith Hameed, a network engineer working in the Capital for 13 years, said even the remote places are secured.

“I work in the industrial area of Mussafah. There are hardly any incidents that you read in newspapers about crime anywhere in the city. The ‘safest city’ is an apt tag. This is largely because of the determined efforts initiated by the Abu Dhabi Police. I am a big fan of the Abu Dhabi Police and the capital city,” Hameed said.

Abdul Latheef, another resident, felt safety adds stability to life. “Abu Dhabi is a crime-free place. There will be few incidents but the police ensure law and order is maintained. An iron-fist control has seen Abu Dhabi emerge as a safe place for everyone to come and lead a peaceful life,” Latheef, a resident for 12 years, added.

Numbeo’s safety index ranked 338 cities globally and is an estimation of overall safety levels in any given city or a country. Established in 2009, Numbeo is a collaborative online database which enables users to share and compare information about the cost of living between countries and cities.