Jeddah, January 24: A total of 448 people involved in smuggling children from Yemen to the Kingdom along the southern borders were caught last year, Al-Eqtisadiah reported Monday. The local daily was quoting commander of the Saudi Border Guards Gen. Zameem Al-Sawwat.
He said the arrested smugglers would receive jail terms of 3 to 6 months and the punishment would be doubled in case the crime was repeated. “The smuggled children will be sent back to their home countries,” he added.
Al-Sawwat said only a few of the deported children tried to infiltrate into the Kingdom a second time. Those who did, he said, were forced by the economic conditions of their country to try to come to the Kingdom again and again.
He said the gangs of smugglers usually take these children through difficult terrain to avoid being caught by the Saudi Border Guards, thus jeopardizing their lives.
Al-Sawwat said more barricades were being installed along the routes that are used by smugglers, particularly Wadi Damad and Makhadamah side road. “The Ministry of Interior will soon implement a project to tighten the surveillance on the southern borders to prevent infiltration and smuggling operations,” he said.
The commander said they had plans to train and qualify border guards and to maintain and repair their equipment to further prolong their lives. “We have prepared and asphalted roads to facilitate the movements of our personnel,” he added.
Al-Sawwat noted a remarkable drop in the number of smuggling and infiltration operations and said this was a result of the tireless efforts of the border guards. “We are using state-of-the-art technology including advanced thermal cameras of high quality to guard our borders, especially those with Yemen and Iraq,” he said.
He recalled that the Kingdom had constructed a security fence along its borders with the two countries and said this measure had helped reduce the number of infiltrators.
Al-Sawwat said the plans of the Interior Ministry to modernize and develop all its sectors included the promotion of the human element and equipment of the border guards. “The human element is the real wealth of the country. We are making strenuous efforts to develop our human cadres through constant training and rehabilitation and to supply them with the latest equipment,” he added.
The commander also said the facilities and equipment of the border guards were being developed through the introduction of modern equipment and advanced surveillance systems. “We will soon present an integrated project to the border guards, which will be considered a giant leap in their history,” he added. He did not reveal the details of the project but said it would be gigantic and unprecedented.
Courtesy: Arab News