RIYADH, 14 September 2007 — Riyadh Police announced yesterday that it has completed a strategy to combat begging in the capital, which increases during Ramadan. The police said they aim to arrest male and female beggars and deliver them to concerned authorities.

A statement from the Riyadh Police to Arab News said that the head of Riyadh Police had an extensive meeting with government officials that deal with beggary to discuss ways to combat beggary during Ramadan.

According to the police, the meeting discussed the statistics provide by the anti-beggary committees regarding the number of beggars caught and the procedures taken after their arrest last year. Officials also discussed a future plan to arrest beggars and locate areas where beggars usually target in their practices, such as mosques, commercial centers, public squares, traffic lights and more.

Another detailed report discussed the number of beggars caught last year, their nationalities, areas where they were located, and the maneuvers most commonly used by beggars. Officials also discussed the procedures taken to ensure that beggars would not return to their activities upon release from detention.

Riyadh Police said it was constantly reviewing the performance of security operation teams responsible for catching beggars across the capital. The police said it had been given the task of overseeing anti-beggary operations since 2005.

In another incident, Riyadh Police announced that it had arrested six Saudis, aged between 24 and 32, who were professionals in renting vehicles from car rentals, changing their documents, selling them off in the market, and then reporting they were stolen. The suspects particularly chose luxury vehicles, which prices in the car market would soar above SR150,000. All vehicles were rented from the car rentals and later sold in the market were model 2007.

The Criminal Investigation Department at Riyadh Police was able to track down the six suspects. An ambush to catch the suspects in their act selling off the cars at the local car market reined in the thieves.