Jeddah’s anti-begging unit is fully equipped to deal with the large number of beggars that appear on the city’s streets during Ramadan, said Saad Al-Shahrani, unit director.
“The fasting month of Ramadan and the Eid holiday are two of the highest seasons for begging, not only in Saudi Arabia, but throughout the Islamic world,” he told Arab News.
“We will deploy 500 undercover volunteers to arrest beggars during the holy month in coordination with the Social Affairs Ministry and the Jeddah Police Department,” he said.
A committee will be formed and more than 300 vehicles will be deployed across several locations, especially renowned beggar strongholds.
“Employees and volunteers will deployed all over Jeddah, with special focus on malls, commercial centers, mosques and traffic lights, where beggars are known to gather,” he said.
“Our office arrested more than 7,000 beggars last Ramadan and Eid, of whom 4,000 men and 2,000 women,” he said. “The rest were children under the age of 15.”
Al-Shahrani called on citizens and residents to report any beggars in a bid to curb the phenomenon.