Haia issues new guidelines

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) has issued new guidelines and instructions to its members in provincial cities and towns to ensure they handle various situations in an efficient and refined manner.
The Haia has also signed a number of agreements that would provide intensive training for its members with the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP), the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS).
“The new guidelines define the authority of Haia members in line with the recent instructions of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and make its operations dynamic and smooth,” Haia Chairman Abdul Latif Al-Asheikh said on Monday in a statement reported by Al-Sharq daily. 
The guidelines stipulate that there should be five supervisory centers in a city — one in the city center, as well as in the east, west, south and north- directly linked to the head of the city director.  
Branch offices will be independent in their operations with the aim of achieving speedy action and greater efficiency in their performance. 
The guidelines were prepared with the help of legal experts, officials of BIP and judges of various law courts, Al-Asheikh said.
The guidelines will help Haia members interact quickly with each situation and handle every case in the right manner. “The guidelines will also stop the likelihood of a member taking wrong decisions,” the chairman said, adding that the instructions would be available for all to read.
The head and his deputy in a city office should set up branch offices in the city and will undertake general supervision of the branch offices, besides monitoring field operations and ensuring the guidelines are strictly followed. A city office will also prepare periodic reports on the activities of its branch offices.
He said all Haia members would have to undergo mandatory training to prepare them to undertake tasks mentioned in the guidelines and handle modern developments and changes in a professional style.
The Haia has signed a memorandum of understanding with the BIP to train its members on methods of legal proceedings including means of detaining a suspect and the preparation of a crime sheet. Experts in the Ministry of Foreign affairs will train the members on how to deal with foreigners and expatriates.
SCTA will conduct training programs on how to deal with tourists, while the NAUSS will enroll Haia members into programs on topics that would improve their professional skills, he said.