RIYADH, 29 May 2007 — A gang of thieves broke into a pharmacy on Kurais Road on Saturday in broad daylight.
“The thieves stole the till after smashing through the shop’s front windows. Fortunately, the amount of money in the till wasn’t too much,” said Zakaria, a pharmacy assistant.
The pharmacy on Kurais Road, a main thoroughfare in Riyadh, was the latest target for criminals in the Kingdom, which has recently seen a spate of crimes.
Thefts have become widespread across the Kingdom. According to recent crime statistics released by the Kingdom’s Security Department, thefts — mainly of money — constitute 45 percent of the overall number of crimes taking place in the country.
Col. Muhammad Al-Nafeesah from Riyadh police told Arab News that car theft is a common type of felony and is on a steady rise.
“People steal cars mainly to obtain parts for resale. Also, a lot of cars are stolen by young joyriders who then abandon them,” he said.
Police stations across the Kingdom registered 8,444 home and shop burglaries in 2006.
Saudi lawyer Muhammad Al-Saleh believes that many thieves take advantage of citizens not taking adequate precautionary steps in securing their homes and cars.
“Most cars are robbed from driveways and parking lots. However, homes are being robbed during daylight hours without the criminals even needing to break into them,” said the lawyer.
Al-Saleh added that the fact that police fail to take serious action is something that has also contributed to the increase in crimes.
“Emergency legislation is needed to impose mandatory maximum sentences on thieves. The punishment given to thieves is not severe enough to eradicate this problem from our society. Robbers are jailed for anything between nine months and six years, which is not enough,” he said.
