JEDDAH: Jeddah police rounded up 2,043 beggars in the first week of Ramadan as part of a new action plan to combat begging in the city streets during the holy month. Half of the arrested people are women, 41 of them are Saudis, according to the local authorities.
Police and the Anti-Beggary Department are keeping vigil at intersections and commercial centers where beggars are known to congregate.
A spokesman of Jeddah police, Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouk, said have beggars violated the sanctity of the month.
“Jeddah police put in place a plan to watch for beggars in public places. Teams of plain clothes policemen watch their activities secretly,” he said.
He urged people to follow the advisory of the authorities that they should give their charities to official and reliable agencies instead distributing them to beggars.
Saad Al-Shahrani, director of the Anti-Beggary Department in Makkah said the special anti-beggary drive would last three months.
