SAUDI ARABIA

A peek into preparations prior to security sweep

The zero hour

December 29, 2017

Saudi Gazette report

AT least 19 government departments and agencies are taking part in the clampdown against criminals and undocumented immigrants as part of the Nation Without Illegal Expats campaign under way in all parts of the Kingdom.

In Riyadh, officers of the public security, criminal investigations, special and emergency forces and other complementary agencies work in full coordination under the direct supervision of Deputy Emir Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulrahman.

Al-Riyadh newspaper accompanied the security teams in one of the raids to learn about the strategies and approaches followed during the operations, which are conducted peacefully without causing panic in the targeted neighborhoods.

All field campaigns carried out by Riyadh police normally take place late at night while most people are asleep. During these raids, officers arrest bootleggers, prostitutes, runaway housemaids and criminals involved in counterfeiting of residency cards and currency bills, in addition to violators of residency and labor laws.

The security teams are composed of highly trained and experienced officers who are adept at carrying out lighting raids and swift arrests. As the raids normally take place late at night, the officers take extreme caution not to disturb peace and create panic in the neighborhood.

The crackdowns are meticulously planned well ahead and are carried out after sufficient intelligence gathering regarding the type of criminal activities going on at a place. The locations are selected carefully, with greater focus on liquor dens and prostitution rings.

Security officers also focus on suspicious places that serve as safe havens for criminals and fugitives. The targets include people who have overstayed Haj, Umrah and visit visas and immigrants who crossed into the country illegally across its borders.

Expatriates holding valid residency permits but have performed the pilgrimage in the past without obtaining a Haj permit are treated as violators of the law. Also falling in the category are expatriates whose residency permits have expired and those who have been reported by their employers as absconding even if their residency permits are still valid.

Before a raid takes place, secret agents scan the entire neighborhood to identify suspicious locations. Once a location is earmarked for search, the agents gather more information about the place such as the best time to storm it, what kind of criminal activities are going on there and how many law violators are likely to be present.

The security men in plainclothes report a location for raid to the special forces after double-checking their information. The agents work in day and night hours to determine the best time to storm a place. They normally choose a time when there is little activity in the streets.

On the night of the raid, the officers put up barricades around the target location just before the operation begins to prevent the suspects from escaping. Then orders are issued to the officers to barge in and confront the criminals and violators, who will be asked to give themselves up and most of them comply.

Once the raid is over, the people who have been arrested are taken to the pertinent police stations or courts, based on the type of offense they are involved in. Hard-core criminals and people having priors pending against them will be sent to the police stations while visa overstayers and violators of the residency law are taken directly to the expatriate detention center for deportation after necessary investigations.


December 29, 2017
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