Commander of the Grand Mosque police Col. Yahya Al-Zahrani said ordinary worshippers who come to the Haram for prayer or attend the conclusion of the recitation of the Holy Qur'an on the 29th night would be directed to the roof, the basement and the plazas outside the mosque.
"This arrangement is made to avoid congestion on the nights of the 27 and 29 and to make it easier for pilgrims to perform their Umrah," he said.
Al-Zahrani said the police force responsible for the security of the Grand Mosque has been reinforced to include 1,600 policemen, 29 officers and 2,800 cadets.
He said the Grand Mosque is being monitored around the clock by 750 surveillance cameras planted in different location inside and outside the mosque.
Al-Zahrani noted that theft cases were fewer this year in the Grand Mosque area and attributed this to the cameras, the fingerprinting system at the airports and cooperation between police in Saudi Arabia and those countries sending pilgrims.
Meanwhile, the Tawafa Department at the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs has warned unlicensed pilgrim guides not to work in the Grand Mosque.
Director of the department Yousuf bin Muhammad Al-Suwailam said officials were closely monitoring pilgrim guides working in the holy mosque and said those without proper permits would be punished.
There are about 600 guides in the Grand Mosque accompanying pilgrims during the circumambulation around the Ka’aba (tawaf) and the saie, the ritual walk between the mounts of Safa and Marwah.
Al-Suwailam asked pilgrims to spend their time at the Grand Mosque in prayer and advised them against crowding near the Black Stone.
He said the voluntary prayer after performing the tawaf can be done anywhere in the Grand Mosque, not necessarily near Maqam Ibrahim.
Al-Suwailam asked pilgrims and visitors to submit their complaints and observations to the department’s office near Bilal Gate (No. 6).
