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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Crime

I've mentioned several times how safe Qatar is, and how low the crime rates are. Unfortunately, crime seems to be on the increase. A favourite trick at the moment is to follow a women from an ATM in a shopping mall and snatch her handbag when she is not looking. Discussion of this trend with several examples can be found here http://www.qatarliving.com/node/12576#comments .

One can only speculate as to the causes of this very sudden crime wave, but low wages and a rising cost of living can contribute to it. Many workers come to Qatar without a clear idea of every day living costs, often have borrowed money from unscrupulous agents who charge extortionate interest rates (illegally). The workers are also under pressure to send money to families back home. Perhaps it is no surprise that crime is on the up. In the meantime - watch those bags!

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