Government | Tuesday 23 June, 2015 4:30 am |

Makkah has a high-tech 24-hour control center that has been set up to prevent crime and assist people in need.
It is linked to 300 cameras and patrols on the ground, and follows up on alerts and requests for assistance received from members of the public via calls and SMSs, a local publication reported recently.
Officers at the center send out patrols to hotspot areas or refer cases to local police stations depending on the type of report received, the publication said.
Muhammed Al-Suhaimi, director of security patrols for the city, said more than 150 commissioned and noncommissioned officers work at the center receiving calls in various languages.
“The control room receives more than 1,500 reports daily. All the calls are dealt with by police patrols with precision and professionalism. It also monitors online the activities of 1,210 patrol teams daily,” he said.
He said the system monitors the performance and whereabouts of officers on the ground. It is able to determine if officers have left areas they are meant to patrol. Crime statistics are kept on all areas, he said.
Noncommissioned officers at the center also deal with calls and messages for assistance from those with special needs. Many of the officers can speak several languages, said Al-Suhaimi.
He said the patrols have been increased from 700 to 900 teams for Ramadan, which consist of 2,400 officers.
Meanwhile, a local publication reported that there are about 4,385 security staffers deployed to control and manage the large crowds of people during Ramadan.
They are stationed at the Grand Mosque and surrounding plazas, near the lifts and escalators, guiding people to their destinations. Squatting in the plazas is prohibited, to allow space for pilgrims to break their fast and pray Maghreb.
A further 420 members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice are working at the Grand Mosque and surrounding areas to help pilgrims with their rituals.