Soft Power Policing in Abu Dhabi: A Summary of Findings

The concept of ‘soft’ power is an established component of Western approaches to crime reduction and prevention. Through learning and imitation, ‘soft power’ has increasingly begun to be applied in the Middle East, in large part due to the fact that local police have come to realise the limitations of coercive or repressive interventions. In attending to the specific context of Abu Dhabi, this paper engages with this development through a mixed methodological approach that draws on both phenomenological and descriptive methods. This research is first-of-its-kind and poses important implications for future practice in Abu Dhabi but also in the wider context of the Middle East. It demonstrates that while the country’s police officers are familiar with the concept and evidence a willingness to apply it, there are gaps within their specific knowledge; this in turn creates challenges for police forces which can be suitably addressed through training focused on day-to-day activities, further research andnorganisational motivation.