Towards Effective Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Strategies and Policies in Abu Dhabi Police: An Investigation of Critical Factors

Abstract

Crime and other kinds of anti-social behaviour are viewed as serious social problems. These issues exist in all countries, but they are especially prevalent within the UAE, a country that recently has undergone rapid social changes within a short period of time. There is a vital need to identify appropriate preventive programmes suitable to the surrounding culture, as well as factors that could lead to effective solutions. Because there is a deficiency of research on crime prevention within Arab countries, this study focuses explicitly on the prevention of juvenile delinquency in the UAE. It considers processes of implementing effective crime prevention strategies, approaches, and programmes. This study uses qualitative methods, in the form of document analyses and semi-structured interviews. The first element of data-gathering is an exploration of the context of juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime prevention in Abu Dhabi, something which has not comprehensively been done before. The second part concentrates on participants from the Abu Dhabi Police force and other organisations involved in preventive work in the area of juvenile delinquency, in order to obtain extensive and detailed information about the dynamics of juvenile crime and potential strategies of prevention. The findings of this research offer several recommendations that could help to implement successful prevention strategies in the Middle East in general and in the UAE in particular. This study identifies and explains critical risk factors, and explores the cultural considerations that must be taken into account when designing and implementing prevention programmes. It identifies several requirements that should be considered for the formation of partnerships in the prevention of juvenile crime. It includes some important recommendations for the Abu Dhabi Police force for its future development and improvement. It also contains some general recommendations for the Government of the United Arab Emirates. Further research directions are also suggested, in light of this study’s findings and its potential limitations.