Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Abu Dhabi: The UAE had one of the lowest level of violent crime in the world in 2015 with 110 crimes, compared with England, which had 1,053 crimes, Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, told the Federal National Council on Tuesday.

Shaikh Saif said the nation’s goal is to have the lowest crime rate in the world. Shaikh Saif was answering a question by Hamad Al Rahoumi, a member of the House from Dubai, about measures taken by the Interior Minister to prevent knife and sword attacks and killings.

“Some 86.5 per cent of people in UAE are satisfied with their security in the country, in the daytime, while the satisfaction rate is 84.5 per cent at night,” Shaikh Saif said, quoting a study by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR).

Shaikh Saif said that murders and violent crimes account for 0.90 per cent of the total number of crimes committed in the country.

“UAE ranked 9th among countries with lowest crime rates, and 4th concerning assault offences in general. Our crime rate is better than other advanced countries, including the United States, Germany and France,” Shaikh Saif said

Shaikh Saif said the UAE also targets to have the least road deaths in the world by 2021.

“The UAE had reported 5.75 road deaths for 100,000 people last year, compared with 13 deaths in 2008,” Shaikh Saif said.

He said by 2021, the UAE, which boasts more than 3.2 million cars plying the roads and the world’s highest car registration compared to its population, aims to have only three road deaths for every 100,000 people. “The number of road deaths in the UAE is among the lowest in the world compared with western countries. In Sweden, the rate is 3.1, US 10 and the UAE 5, while Denmark is 2.7,” Shaikh Saif said.

By Samir Salama Associate Editor

Gulf News 2016. All rights reserved.