New police station fills a growing need

Riyadh Gov. Prince Khaled bin Bandar opened a police station in Hawtat Bani Tamim in the presence of Deputy Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah in the capital recently.
The new police station, located some 60 km from Riyadh near Al-Kharj, is the 25th in the region to come under the governorate to attend to the growing needs of the people.
On arrival at the police station, the two princes were greeted by Maj. Gen. Saud bin Abdulaziz Al-Hilal, police chief of Riyadh region, and Col. Faris bin Turki Al-Otaibi, police chief of the Hawtat Bani Tamim.
After cutting the ribbon to mark the opening, the governor and his deputy were taken on a tour to the new station.
The Riyadh police was initiated in 1955. It consisted then of several police stations under the supervision of the Riyadh governor. Subsequently, the police department was restructured to emulate a successful model from developed countries. Several units and divisions were set up. They included planning and programs, criminal, technical and educational divisions.
A police training institute was established to train the staff. The institute was instrumental in the development of an effective policing philosophy and has produced highly trained and qualified law enforcement officers. The technical staff at the Riyadh police attended 17 training courses organized by the institute.
Recently, police stations in Riyadh underwent a restructuring program in their operational plans and organizational charts. To keep up with the rapid urban growth within the province, several new police stations have been established.
In 1975, portable radio accessibility was brought to mobile patrol and emergency officers who conducted seven patrols at the beginning. The number has since risen to 120 patrols around the clock.
The Mobile Patrol and Emergency Division has also been modernized, an advanced operations room installed and new criminal laboratories were set up to maintain security, control and track down fugitives. A criminal evidence division was set up to investigate crimes and the circumstances surrounding them.
Keeping pace with modern technology, the police are currently using computers in their various divisions such as criminal investigations and administrative wings.
Criminal records, names of wanted persons, fugitives, suspects and stolen car details are now being entered into computer databases. Police patrols and the criminal investigations division have been equipped with data terminals to enable them to coordinate with field officers. The technical division uses data terminals to compile statistics, record cases and judgments.