ABU DHABI // Noisy neighbours, vandalism, drugs and drunk and disorderly behaviour are among the common complaints residents report in their neighnourhood.
Despite this, most people felt safe in their community.
Less than a quarter (24 per cent) of those questioned believed crime was a problem in their area. Of those polled, 32 per cent of Emiratis agreed with this compared with 23 per cent of expats. Overall, 67 per cent of those asked felt crime was not much of a problem or not a problem at all. Nine per cent said they did not know.
More than four-fifths (88 per cent) felt safe in their local area.
A variety of responses were recorded about the extent of problems in their neighbourhoods.
When asked how much of a problem noisy neighbours were, 43 per cent said it was either a big or fairly big problem. Fifty-two per cent said it was not a big problem or problem at all. The rest were undecided.
When asked about teenagers on the street, 48 per cent said it was either a big or fairly big problem, compared to 47 per cent who said it was not a big problem or problem at all. The rest could not say.
Likewise with vandalism, drugs and drunk disorderly behaviour, about half of respondents for each — 43 per cent, 41 per cent and 44 per cent respectively — said it was either a big or fairly big problem. Just over a fifth (21 per cent) believed crime in their neighbourhood had increased in the last three years, while the same number (21 per cent) felt it had decreased.
Others felt it had stayed the same or were unsure.
“Some neighbours they like to play loud music and have parties once in a while,” said Hassan Saeed, a Pakistani expatriate.
“It happens, but mainly they have respect for the country they live in.”
The 21-year-old student said he was reluctant to take any action if neighbours caused problems in his area.
“No, I don’t do anything,” he said. “I don’t want them to be in trouble.”
Mr Saeed, a Sharjah student who las lived in the UAE for 15 years, said his family had been targeted by criminals once.
“Once it happened, about four years back,” he said. “My dad’s mobile phone got stolen from the car. We left the phone in the car and when we got back the phone was missing. But the door was open. We forgot to lock it.
“Things like that happen.”
Mr Saeed said he was very happy where he lived and felt his local neighbourhood and the UAE in general was a safe place to live.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
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Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
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