QATIF, 11 May 2007 — Having experienced a spate of thefts, construction companies have started employing young unemployed Saudis to guard their sites against thieves, who have a tendency to steal building materials from construction sites.
In spite of the low salaries, many Saudis are happy with their jobs. Faisal Al-Hamdi is currently having a building constructed on a piece of land he owns. “The construction site has been robbed several times. The water tank and a water pump machine have been stolen among many other things. I was fed up and then decided to hire two young Saudis to guard the building. The building work is continuing and it’s been a year now. We’ve not been robbed since then,” he said.
Standing guard at Al-Hamdi’s building is Ali Ismail. “I feel so comfortable with this job because the employer is very nice and trusts us a lot. However, we are regularly questioned by police patrols. This is a bit of a problem because they sometimes think we’re thieves as well,” said Ismail.
Abdullah Daif stands guard at another building. “The police don’t come round here much. They need to make regular patrols. Local people ask us questions sometimes. They generally don’t know us and get a little curious to know who we are and whether we are thieves,” said Daif. Muhammad Hamza, a resident of Qatif, thinks that hiring unemployed youths as security guards is a brilliant idea and something that should be adopted widely.
Mansour Nassif, another local resident, said, “Qatif is pretty safe but thefts do happen from time to time. It’s a common thing. My house was exposed to a theft before and that made me very careful.”
Ali Al-Malam, another construction site owner, said, “One of my homes was robbed, so I hired two young men to guard it for SR1,000 per month each. I gave them a room to live in and they alternate 12-hour shifts to protect the house 24 hours a day.”
Meanwhile, Ali Khwahr and Abdullah Al-Marhoon feel security guards cost too much. “Hiring security guards costs a lot and then there is the additional duty to ensure they are safe. It would be better if a house owner hires guards from a security company rather than picking up unemployed youngsters.”
Yousuf Al-Kahtany, a police officer said, “Members of the public are allowed to appoint guards, but the owner has to coordinate with the police. He has to inform us about the number of guards he is hiring. The guards should have some documents that prove they are working for their employers. Expatriates also need to have valid residential permits.”
