A study by the Future Foresight Centre at Dubai Police has estimated the social return on investment (SROI) of 80 Dubai Police community initiatives at AED 647.9 million ($176.4 million), representing social, economic and security value delivered to an estimated 3.8 million beneficiaries between 2017 and 2026.
The study examined initiatives across education, health, awareness and sport, measuring their contribution to outcomes including public safety, crime prevention, trust in police and quality of life.
It found economic and community contributions accounted for AED 542.7 million ($147.8 million) of the total SROI. Initiatives supporting quality of life were estimated at 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 and AED 5.7 million ($1.55 million) to initiatives promoting accessibility and opportunities for participation.
The research also reported statistical relationships between community initiatives and selected indicators, including positive correlations of 0.44 with the Happiness Index, 0.45 with the Happiness, Security and Awareness Index, and 0.44 with perceptions of safety.
It also reported inverse relationships with crime-related indicators, including a negative correlation of 0.41 between increased implementation of community initiatives and levels of “concerning crimes”. 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, Dubai Police said the ‘Positive Spirit’ initiative reached two million people, Esaad benefited more than 1.15 million, Ride with Dubai Police reached 40,000 people, and 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).
Dubai Police said the findings show how sustained community engagement can translate into measurable social and economic value while supporting preventive security, public trust, quality of life and social stability.
