RIYADH, 7 March 2007 — Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed ruled out yesterday the possibility of forming a police force comprising only women when asked about recent reports of criminals hiding beneath abayas in order to disguise themselves.
“I do not think we need that,” he said. “The numbers of these cases are little. And Saudi security forces are wise enough to identify a woman in her clothing and a man who is wearing women’s clothing. When a security officer suspects a man is disguised as a woman under an abaya, that person is stopped and asked for ID.”
Prince Ahmed made the comments while inaugurating the elementary section of Al-Asima Institute for Boys in Riyadh.
Commenting on people who impersonate the identities of security officers and policemen who embezzle, and trick others, Prince Ahmed denied that the numbers have made it a phenomenon.
The prince said that some people with “weak conscience” have been apprehended for impersonating policemen and have threatening foreigners for money. “A large number of these people have been caught and they will face justice,” he said. “This is a matter of grave concern for us. But it is nowhere near a phenomenon.”
He said that it was up to “patriotic citizens who care for the honor of this country” to cooperate with security forces to report such cases so these people could be apprehended.
Prince Ahmed also deplored the increase in the number of child abductions in the country. “The abduction of children is a great crime. It is also a great crime in Islam,” he said. “The fact that people condemn such things in our society illustrates that it is alien to us.”
Prince Ahmed ruled out any terrorist attack against the Civil Defense helicopter that crashed on Monday evening in Wadi Dawasser near Riyadh, killing all eight on board, including three police officers. The chopper was searching for a criminal suspect when it crashed. “To my knowledge, the crash was because of bad weather conditions,” he said.
