Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Jeddah police crackdown on immoral behavior | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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31/5/2005

Jeddah-Lead by the police in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia”s security forces have arrested 1900 people in the last week, in a security operation in the Ghalil, south of the city and Qarantina, east of Jeddah. Some 800 security personnel took part in the clampdown, including government and security forces.

Security sources indicated that this latest crack down resulted in the discovery of forty houses used for unethical and forbidden practices such as magic, herbal medicine and medicines to treat sexual dysfunctions, in addition to 30 wanted criminals.

The number of people arrested across the city of Jeddah has reached almost ten thousand after six security operations in the Bawady, Al Nozha, Al Aziziza, Kilo 9, Qarantina, and Ghalil neighborhoods. The forces involved in these clampdowns included Jeddah”s police force, passport authority, criminal investigation unit, traffic police, narcotics squad, civil defense force, Special Forces, preventive security, Red Crescent society, and the city”s electricity company. This was in addition to the participation of private transport companies that carried those arrested free of charge.

According to the same sources, the security clampdown was carried out by encircling a given district and applying a security cordon to forbid anyone from entering or leaving the area. In the second stage, electricity meters for the houses were targeted and the power cut off. Each mission depended on the date and time remaining a secret, until a few minutes before the clampdown started, with orders given by Brigadier General Mosfir Al Zohami, Head of the Police Force in Jeddah.

Colonel Musfir Al Jaid, Head of Relations and Guidance in the city”s police promised that security operations will continue. He added that the crackdown &#34depends mainly on two main factors: surprise and location. We will continue these operations and revisit areas.&#34 When asked about any policemen injured during any confrontations, Colonel Musfir indicated that there were &#34only a few injuries&#34. As for those arrested, they were processed according to their fingerprints, with those who over-stayed handed to the passport authority to be repatriated.

Police in Jeddah and government officials also revealed that, during the crackdown on different areas in the city, they discovered a number of houses were money was being counterfeit, drugs sold, improper sexual acts committed, and international calls made using the internet.