Filipino expats feel safe with UAE’s strong police, community ties

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has repeatedly been cited as among safest places in the world because it has a strong police-civilian relations continuously being nurtured to weed out bad elements.
This, according to Lt. Khalid Mohammed B. Banasser, Dubai Police spokesperson who, in an exclusive interview with The Filipino Times, said state-of-the-art law enforcement in this digital age coupled with community support is the formula in keeping crime at bay.

 
Because of this, Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes matter-of-factly said “Overseas Filipino Workers feel safe” in the UAE.
Cortes has initiated regular town hall meetings with Dubai Police, the third and most recent of which was held at least two weeks ago.
‘The people love UAE’
 

Lt. Banasser said people in the community give law enforcement agencies leads about possible crime in progress or cooperate in ongoing investigations.
“The community… the people love the UAE. They themselves call the police. They love this country so much they don’t want crime to spread,” he said.
Lt. Banasser said the UAE is the most progressive in terms of law enforcement technology. “We have cameras everywhere,” he said.
He added that police categorize areas according to the number of crimes being committed there such that it becomes a “hotspot” the moment it reaches a certain benchmark, after which the force comes in to contain the situation.
Lt. Banasser also said that in keeping up with the task of ensuring law and order, security guards, including those working at malls, need to undergo at least three weeks of training at the police academy before they get the job.
“They need to undergo training to know how to respond to certain situations,” he said.
According to global consulting firm Mercer in its 21st annual Quality of Living Survey for 2019, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the safest cities to live in the Middle East.
The survey compared 230 cities considered to be global assignment destinations for expatriates across multiple factors.
This as UAE officials also recently said UAE has been tagged as the safest place in the world with up to 96% of residents saying they feel safe to walk outdoors at night.
‘Safe dito’
Validating this are insights from Overseas Filipino Workers in the UAE who themselves attest how safe the country is.
“I have been to quite a few of countries na din, but the safeness I feel in the UAE is beyond my expectations,” said Rosaline Baylosis, administrative officer.

“The laws and regulations are respected. We may encounter some unlawful act or citizens who sometimes do not abide by the rules but they are being reprimanded accordingly,” she said.
Baylosis, who has been in the UAE for four years, cited the police’s quick response to crimes as a deterrent. “Say for example, an incident happened in a store where men tried to robbed it; after a few minutes Dubai police operatives were there. Very seldom can you see a response as quick as that.”
“Indeed,” said Josh Cayabyab, burger joint service crew, “you can leave your bag at the restroom wash area and go to a cubicle without worrying if your bag would still be there when you’re done.”

Sally Calayag who has been in the UAE for the past 13 years, said the UAE government “really has a good heart  working for the benefit of the people of different nationalities living in the country.”

Jaylor Taguinod Langcay, who has been in the UAE for eight years and is working as a security guard, for his part said: “Ang seguridad ay sobrang higpit dito kaya kampante ako sa sarili ko na safe dito.”

Edmar Dela Vega, who has been working in the UAE for 10 years as a planning engineer, for his part said: “Leaders of this country are resilient and their risk disaster and preparedness team is always ready for any circumstances that will arise.”