Doha Ranked Third Safest City In The World

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Victor Bolorunduro | The Peninsula

Doha: Doha, and by extension, Qatar, has once again stood out as one of the safest cities and countries in Asia and indeed the world, with an extremely low crime rate.

According to the latest Crime index 2024 Mid-Year report by Numbeo, an online crowd-sourced database widely used by global news organisations, Doha has the third lowest crime rate out of the 311 global cities indexed in the report, with a crime index of just 16.1.

Conversely, two cities in South Africa, Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria, are reported as having the highest crime rates of the cities profiled, with crime indices of 82.5 and 81.9, respectively. Rounding up the top-five cities with the highest crime rates are Caracas, Venezuela (81.7), Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (80.9), and South Africa's Johannesburg (80.8).

As for the cities with the lowest crime rates, the UAE's Abu Dhabi and Ajman slightly edged out Doha with scores of 11.8 and 15.8, respectively.

The Numbeo index measures perceived crime rates based on factors such as theft, violence, and vandalism.

Numbeo's Crime Index is an estimation of the overall level of crime in a given city or country. It considers crime levels lower than 20 as very low, crime levels between 20 and 40 as low, crime levels between 40 and 60 as moderate, crime levels between 60 and 80 as high, and crime levels higher than 80 as very high.

The report noted, among other things, that worries about being subject to a physical attack because of one's skin colour, ethnic origin, gender or religion in Qatar are very low, with a score of 17.09, while the score for being worried about being attacked is as low as 12.13, and worries about being mugged or robbed are as low as 10.50.

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It should be recalled that Qatar was crowned the most peaceful country in the Middle East and North Africa in 2023. In fact, the country achieved a crime rate of 0.00 per 100,000 people in 2022.

Commenting on the latest report, Best Diplomats, a New York-based organisation that specializes in conducting diplomatic simulations of prestigious international bodies such as the United Nations, the European Union and the African Union, noted that the current crime index of 16.1 further emphasises the secured environment that allows Qatari residents and visitors to feel at ease while exploring the country.

“The general public expresses high levels of confidence in their safety, with many residents leaving their belongings unattended in public spaces. Prominent law enforcement agencies and a community-focused approach to regulating laws and protocols further contribute to the sense of safety and security,” it added.

There is a noticeable downward trend in the total number of reported crimes from 2021 to 2024, with some reports indicating that the total number of crimes decreased by 17% over these years.

In a related development, a recent report showed that serious road accidents resulting in deaths have fallen by more than 32 percent over the past two years in Qatar, according to data from the National Planning Council (NPC). Recently released statistics show that a total of 52 people died in road accidents in the first four months of this year, compared to 77 deaths reported in the same period in 2022, a 32.4 percent decrease.

The improvement is a result of concerted efforts by the Ministry of Interior's General Directorate of Traffic to raise awareness and ensure compliance with traffic rules, not least the speed limit and use of seatbelts.

Qatar's consistently low crime rate is a testament to its effective law enforcement, strong legal framework, and proactive community engagement. The steady decline in various types of crimes from 2021 to 2024 underscores the country's commitment to ensuring the safety and security of its residents and visitors.

As Qatar continues to develop and implement innovative crime prevention strategies, it is likely to maintain its status as one of the safest countries in the world.

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