Safety

Life in the Middle East for us expats is based on the premise that things can change in a heartbeat.

Having said that the Saudi authorities have done an awesome job in putting a lid on the terrorist threat over the past 4 years. It would be safe to say that, for now, the average expatriate in Saudi faces a greater threat from crime in his home country than from terrorist attacks within the Kingdom.

As far as "normal" crime is concerned the Kingdom has to be one of the safest places in the world. As long as one does not go wandering down dark, narrow streets in the middle of the night the chances of being mugged or robbed are negligible. Murder, rape, and other major crimes are rare, not tolerated by the authorities, and punished severely.

When I first arrived I was startled and alarmed at the severity with which the Saudi authorities dealt with crime. I know that this registers fairly early on with most expats arriving in the Kingdom. However, there are two important points I would like to make about this: 1) we are visitors and it is not up to us to judge; and 2) as disturbing it may be for us to hear about the manner and harshness with which perpetrators of crime are dealt with, it may well be that these methods contribute positively to the creation of a relatively crime free environment.

The Kingdom offers levels of safety that many of us are unused to. The authorities are working hard to create a safe environment for their people and us visitors. Nothing is ever set in concrete but as far as safety, crime and terrorism, is concerned, the Saudi authorities have created an environment that is far from the image created by the external media.