The first time we came to AD in 2004 I felt completely safe, and I would have walked anywhere, at any time of the day or night, alone, without a moments hesitation. But I do definately sense a change this time around, and am now definately be a LOT more cautious. But by cautious I mean I wouldn't walk through an underpass alone, and I won't go walking in 'quiet' areas after dark alone... I definately, despite all the recent scaremongering, don't feel unsafe in AD, quite the contrary....With all this whizz bang newfangled technology how hard would it be to continuously monitor the underpasses I wonder? Positive identification of a groper could be very difficult I suppose, but if the usual suspects knew that there was a CCTV watching them surely it would make them think twice. Such a cheap, easy fix to what appears to be a very big problem.
I think AD is far safer than anywhere else I've lived for sure. What makes it so uncomfortable for us I think is knowing that if anything goes wrong we're unlikely to get the justice we deserve. The authorities here really need to urgently address this perception if they want married accompanied Western expats to consider a stint in the UAE, especially given the prominence of 'report rape and get jailed yourself' media stories at the moment. The Aussie hotel employee's story has made many an old friend here in Australia question our decision to remain in the UAE for a while longer and I really don't blame them.