People say that groups of young men often behave inappropriately in public, especially when there are families with teenage girls nearby. “These young men also deliberately damage public property. Even young children break things in parks and uproot plants. CCTV cameras would go a long way to stop this,” said a citizen speaking to Al-Riyadh newspaper.
Newly opened parks in the Eastern Province have also been targeted by young vandals. These include the park on Garnata Street in Saihat city in the Qatif region.
Asaad Al-Moshref, head of the district council in Garnata, called on the police to increase patrols in the area, especially by plain-clothed officers, to arrest youngsters who disturb the public.
“Security should also be strengthened at the entrances to parks. A lot of people are afraid of sending their families and children to parks, fearing they might be harassed by these young men,” he said.
Al-Moshref said a new garden was built in the midst of a residential area in Garnata. “The location was chosen to enable a maximum number of families to spend their holidays and weekends there. But the huge presence of unmarried young men loitering there forced many families to stay away,” he said.
Eisa Al-Mozal, a member of the municipal council in Qatif, said the municipality had earlier conducted an awareness campaign entitled “Beautiful Qatif” to encourage people to keep public places, including parks and gardens, clean and tidy.
“This campaign was focused mainly on families and schoolchildren to develop a culture of keeping public places clean for the next generation,” he said.
Al-Mozal, however, added that parents fail to educate their children to keep public places clean and that this then leads to vandalism.
As a result, a number of people have called on the authorities to install CCTV cameras to monitor public places. They blame parents for allowing their children to wreck public places.
Social researcher Yahya Al-Qalaf said the first and foremost step in protecting public places involves inculcating lofty ideals and principles in young people. “Islam teaches us to take care of public property in the same way we look after what belongs to us. True patriotism involves safeguarding the environment and state properties. The government strives hard to provide citizens and expatriates with comfortable lives and we owe this much to society,” he said.
Al-Qalaf noted that many people leave their trash in parks, damage public toilets, destroy swings and slides in children’s play areas, and uproot plants and vegetation.
Um Khaled, a housewife, said her family avoids the seafront in Qatif. “This is mainly to ensure the safety of our children. These places, which are exclusively for families, are always frequented by reckless motorists,” she said.
Ahmad Ismail, a regular evening stroller on the Qatif Corniche, said the childish behavior of some youths spoils people’s outings.
“Motorcyclists are known to ride their bikes recklessly among picnickers, creating panic. The authorities should take urgent steps to curb this. There should be special areas for these youths and these places should be left for families,” he said.
