JEDDAH: Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif has ordered the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to open an office at Jeddah’s Durrat Al-Arous, Ahmad Al-Qassim, the local director of the commission, told Arab News on Sunday.
Durrat Al-Arous is a large gated seaside community of temporary and permanent seaside residences in north Jeddah.
“The commission’s office at the Durrat Al-Arous will be operating in collaboration with police under the supervision of the Makkah governor’s office. The commission hopes that the Durrat administration will provide it with a suitable location,” Al-Qassim said.
“The commission, the activities of which are not limited to any particular location, strives to preserve moral conduct and public behavior,” the director said.
Prince Naif’s order gives the commission the permission to enter all beach resorts in Jeddah and monitor the activities there on a daily basis apart from taking necessary measures to check improper behavior in order to preserve the public behavior and moral conduct, the director said.
Al-Qassim said that Durrat Al-Arous had asked for a commission branch. “But what prevents it from opening new offices is the lack of financial allocations. However, after realizing the need of the situation, the commission’s head office has approved the transfer of an office situated outside Jeddah with lower work pressure to a suitable location in North Obhur,” he said.
He said the commission wanted to open a precinct in the area in view of reported breaches of conduct. He did not elaborate.
He added that the commission would also participate in the Jeddah summer festival this year.
“Our office has laid down programs for the summer season and will implement them after receiving the approval of the head office,” he said. “Its activities include lectures and distribution of booklets and brochures on moral conduct to the tourists and local residents.”
He also said the number of members of the commission has been increased from 50 to 66 in Jeddah in view of the large number of tourists visiting Jeddah.
