Dubai Police initiatives deliver Dh647.9 million impact for 3.8 million people

Dubai: Community initiatives by Dubai Police generated an estimated social return of Dh647.9 million between 2017 and 2026, according to a study assessing 80 programmes that reached 3.8 million people.

The Social Return on Investment (SROI) study, conducted by the Future Foresight Centre at Dubai Police, examined initiatives covering education, health, public awareness and sport, assessing their links to public safety, crime prevention, trust in police and quality of life.

Lieutenant General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, said the findings reflected the effectiveness of the force's approach to designing community initiatives based on the needs of society. He added that such initiatives were an important pillar of sustainable security by increasing trust in police and strengthening perceptions of safety.

The study attributed Dh542.7 million of the total impact to economic and community contributions. A further Dh5.7 million was linked to initiatives focused on accessibility and participation, while Dh5 million was attributed to community wellbeing programmes.

Quality-of-life initiatives accounted for Dh31.7 million, while Dh62.8 million was attributed to programmes contributing to public trust and a stronger sense of belonging.

The study used statistical and quantitative models to measure the social and economic value generated by the initiatives and examine their relationship with security and social indicators.

Researchers also used the Pearson Correlation Coefficient, a statistical method that measures the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. A positive value indicates that two variables tend to rise together, while a negative value indicates that one tends to fall as the other rises.

The analysis found a 0.44 positive correlation between the initiatives and the Happiness Index, and a 0.45 positive correlation with the Happiness, Security and Awareness Index. The initiatives also recorded a 0.44 positive correlation with improved perceptions of safety among community members.

The analysis found an inverse relationship with some crime indicators. Implementation of the initiatives had a negative 0.41 correlation with the rate of concerning crimes, meaning increased activity coincided with lower levels of this category of crime.

Customer happiness showed an even stronger negative correlation with crime rates, at -0.796.

Among the individual programmes assessed, Dubai Police's Positive Spirit initiative had the widest reach, benefiting two million people.

The Esaad privilege card initiative followed with 1,158,717 beneficiaries. Ride with Dubai Police reached 40,000 people, while events linked to the UAE SWAT Challenge benefited 51,000 people.

Volunteers also contributed to the initiatives covered by the study.

Between 2017 and 2026, 7,189 volunteers from within and outside Dubai Police took part in the programmes, contributing 249,916 volunteer hours. The study estimated the resulting financial savings at Dh21,742,692.

The study concluded that the initiatives had measurable links with security and social indicators, including public trust, perceptions of safety, quality of life and community stability.