VIDEO: How safe is Qatar?

Lately, a lot of crimes are being reported in Qatar, such as the Shoprite robbery.

But compared to the rest of the world, Qatar is a relatively peaceful country.

The country scores a 1.568 in the Global Peace Index, where a lower score denotes a more peaceful nation. Saudi Arabia and the UAE score 2.042 and 1.805 respectively. Qatar was one of the countries that was unaffected by the 2011 Arab uprisings.

Interestingly, in 2010, the country was ranked at number 8 on the list of the most peaceful nations, while in 2015, that rank dropped to 30. Albeit, this can be due to various reasons other than crime and violence.

According to Hukoomi, many Qatari citizens prefer to handle altercations/petty issues within their families and so some of the crimes can go unreported. Another factor to consider the low crime rate is the unwillingness of some women to report crimes against them due to fear or even social stigma.

One of Qatar's major concerns is financial fraud. If a person is found guilty of a bounced cheque, the he or she can face a jail sentence of anywhere from three months to three years and/or a fine ranging from Qr.3000 ot Qr. 10,000.

When it comes to terrorism, the last major terrorist attack was in 2005, where a car bomb exploded in front of the Doha Players theatre. Since then Qatar has bolstered its counter-terror efforts and the local police force remains ever vigilant.

The biggest threat to the safety and well-being of people in Qatar is road travel. More fatalities occur due to traffic collisions than any other reason. The government has a number of campaigns in place to help curb is issue.

Sources[BBC, VisionOfHumanity.org, ArabianBusiness, Hukoomi]

PC: Gonz Ferolino, Samara Abeysekara