JEDDAH, 24 May 2005 — Although the recent raids carried out by security forces in some of Jeddah’s residential districts were successful in flushing out a large number of illegals and criminals, an Arab News survey emphasized the need for conducting more such raids.
Over the past few years, overstayers, criminal gangs and other illegals have gained vast experience in dealing with security officers as they move from place to place to evade arrests. As a result, thousands of them remain in the Kingdom, often just one step ahead of the authorities.
Karantina district in south Jeddah, for example, looks like an abandoned area following the recent raids. Residents, however, believe that many illegals and criminals have withdrawn to new hideouts and are waiting for things to calm down.
Ahmed Shoue, a resident of the neighborhood, said the raids were instrumental in halting crime in the area, especially thefts of mobile phones and sales of drugs and alcohol. But he fears that the criminals will surface once again and resume their criminal and immoral activities as soon as the clampdown is called off.
Abdullah Housawi, another resident, is pessimistic about the results of the security crackdown. “I doubt very much whether we can end this phenomenon once and for all unless security forces get full support and cooperation from Saudis and legal residents of the district,” he said.
The residents must take on their responsibility and inform police about illegals living in the area.
On the other hand, Mansour Makeen, the district chief or umdah of Karantina, is confident that the authorities can end the problem with the cooperation of people living there. He pointed out that 30 percent of overstayers and other illegals living in the area were arrested during the recent raids.
“We have begun punishing real estate offices and landlords who rent buildings to illegals. We have prepared a list of them and sent it to the authorities so that appropriate action can be taken against them,” he explained.
Makeen emphasized the need for more raids and additional security measures to rid the area of illegals and criminals. “We have to make a coordinated move with the support of all related agencies in order to end this problem once and for all,” he added.
Jeddah Police Chief Brig. Gen. Misfer Rizkallah Al-Zehami says the security crackdown on six districts in the city has been very successful. He said the number of crimes has dropped drastically with only 144 incidents reported from the area over the past two months compared to a bi-monthly average of 1,125 cases previously.
The crackdown targeted criminals involved in forging official documents, stealing cars, mobile phones and other valuables, selling drugs and alcohol, pick-pocketing, black magic and illegal telephone services.
Most of the raids were conducted in Rabwa, Karantina, Ghaleel, Aziziya and Bawadi districts, the police director said. “We intend to conduct similar raids in 57 other districts on instructions of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed,” he explained.
He said the raids were conducted after authorities noticed an increase in crimes, especially in areas where overstayers and other illegals live. The raids resulted in the arrest of more than 7,200 people, 1,211 of them criminals.
