Abu Dhabi should follow the lead of Ireland and other parts of Europe and the US, and charge per plastic bag at stores (Abu Dhabi dives deep for another world record, April 24). It would encourage people to bring in reusable bags and cut down on the plastic bags I see floating in the ocean, strewn across parks and stuck in trees. Also, putting a deposit on bottles, cans and plastic would create a market for them.
Many people would continue to toss those items aside but others would pick them up for the cash value. It would also serve as a source of income for charitable groups and schools for fundraising.
These are simple green solutions that are being successfully employed in other areas around the world.
Patricia Perry Geiger, Abu Dhabi
Crime can take place anywhere in the world
It is sad that violence against Emiratis in London has tainted perceptions of the UK as a safe destination (They pointed a gun to my head', Emirati victim of second London attack says, April 24). Judging from some readers' response, it also appears that some expatriates feel their choice of the UAE as their place of temporary domicile renders them safe from the clutches of violence.
While some may accept the old adage that there are “lies, damned lies, and statistics”, it is only earlier this week that The National published data indicating that the murder rate in the UAE is 2.6 per 100,000 as against the UK figure of 1 per 100,000. This would indicate that perception and reality are two very different beasts.
While I genuinely love living in the UAE, in my first year here a female driver toppled my car and nearly killed me (yes, another stereotype, that only male drivers are dangerous). Two years ago my house was burgled and my daughters seldom walk outside our house without being hassled by men.
The media massages people’s fears, but let us not hold any one place up as safer than another without accepting the fact that everywhere can be safe and anywhere can be violent.
David Jay, Ras Al Khaimah
Crime can happen anywhere in the world. And anyone can fall victim to a crime at any time. It is not specifically confined to London.
Statistically, victims of crime are not the wealthy, so there is no particular reason to “target” people of one nationality or another. It is more to do with opportunism – whatever is unguarded, unlocked or available means easy access. Those who follow the advice of the UK police are simply being wise. Being wise provides an individual with an extra layer of security. Anywhere in the world.
So stop the panic. Is everyone this summer going to stay away from Brazil because it has a lot of crime? Or India because females have been attacked? Emiratis have been going to London for a very long time returning unscathed.
As for requests to have more police on the streets. The British police patrol on their feet all over towns and cities. The country is alive with CCTV and they are out dealing with road behaviour in a manner I am yet to see in the UAE. What the police need is people following their advice.
Judith Finnemore, UK
My youngest son lives in London and he was badly beaten a couple of years ago by a gang that wanted to steal his bike. He was lucky that he could manage to keep his bike and came off with a black eye and some serious bruises. He still lives in London as he loves it. There doesn’t seem to be any real punishment in my mind to make these people stop. The gang members that attacked my son were not from the UK. This is one of the reasons I moved to the UAE, which I find truly safe. I hope the couple are fine. As for the attack on my son, I think he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Please don’t judge all people in the UK as thugs.
Carol Barber, Dubai
It’s an awful news. I hope the victims are OK, but these attacks are not exclusively aimed at Emiratis. Unfortunately there are countless attacks on innocent people from all over the world in London and all over the UK.
Ashamedly, the UK isn’t as safe a place as it once was. The punishment in the UK isn’t a deterrent in the way that it should be, which is a major problem.
Paul Ellis, Dubai
Life in UAE is what one makes of it
I am comenting on the article Alcoholics Anonymous in UAE: 'attendees are getting younger' (April 21). Life in the UAE is what you make of it. Just don't compare it to the "West".There is enough of a drug and alcohol problem there as well.
When we compare things, we set ourselves up for failure. It isn’t a perfect world, but far from it. I like the sun in the UAE and the fact that I’ve made some lovely friends. I do enjoy a spot of retail therapy and going out. Most things become a bit of a drudgery after a while. The 42°C temperature might drive me crazy, but winters are lovely.
Jayadevi Machaya Palekanda, UK