DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A study has estimated the Social Return on Investment (SROI) of 80 Dubai Police community initiatives at AED 647.9 million ($176.4 million), reflecting the wider social, economic and security value created for 3.8 million beneficiaries between 2017 and 2026.
Conducted by the Future Foresight Centre, the study examined initiatives across education, health, awareness and sport and measured their contribution to security, economic and social outcomes, including public safety, crime prevention, trust in police and quality of life.
The study found that economic and community contributions accounted for AED 542.7 million ($147.8 million) of the total SROI. Initiatives supporting quality of life generated AED 31.7 million ($8.6 million), while AED 62.8 million ($17.1 million) was attributed to initiatives contributing to public trust. A further AED 5 million ($1.36 million) was linked to community wellbeing, while AED 5.7 million ($1.55 million) came from initiatives promoting accessibility and opportunities for participation across society.
The research also examined statistical relationships between community initiatives and key security and social indicators. It found positive correlations of 0.44 with the Happiness Index, 0.45 with the Happiness, Security and Awareness Index, and 0.44 with enhanced perceptions of safety.
The analysis also identified inverse relationships with crime related indicators. Increased implementation of community initiatives coincided with lower levels of concerning crimes, recording a negative correlation of 0.41. The study also found a negative 0.796 correlation between customer happiness and crime rates.
Lieutenant General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, said the results reflect the effectiveness of developing sustainable community initiatives around society’s needs, while strengthening community partnerships and supporting quality of life. He described community initiatives as an important pillar of sustainable security, contributing to trust in police, perceptions of safety and crime prevention.
Among the initiatives assessed, ‘Positive Spirit’ initiative reached two million people, while Esaad benefited more than 1.15 million. Ride with Dubai Police reached 40,000 people, while activities associated with the UAE SWAT Challenge benefited 51,000.
The study also found that 7,189 volunteers contributed 249,916 hours between 2017 and 2026, generating estimated financial savings of AED 21.7 million ($5.9 million).
The findings show how sustained community engagement can translate into measurable social and economic value while supporting preventive security, stronger public trust, improved quality of life and greater social stability.
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