“Most schools and other educational institutions employ security guards who are generally aged. A large number of these men have poor vision and hearing and are unable to move properly. These men are also only employed to work during class hours,” said one educational official speaking to Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper. Highlighting the problem of crime targeting schools, Dr. Tonaideb Al-Fayidi, director of the Department for Boys Education in the Madinah region, recently unveiled plans to hire security guards for educational institutions in the region.
“There are surveillance cameras at some schools and at the headquarters of the Department for Boys Education in the region. We have plans to install similar cameras at all government school buildings,” he said.
He added that the reason behind this increased security is the rising incidents of theft and burglary at schools. Most of these crimes take place during weekends and vacation. The Education Department in the Madinah region had earlier urged the Ministry of Education to install cameras at all schools in the Kingdom after police urged educational institutes to increase security.
Meanwhile, the Education Department in Mahad Al-Dahab has instructed school principals to employ security guards during the final exams, which began on Saturday. The order was issued after a fire at the Ibn Al-Qayyim Inter-mediate School in Al-Mokhaibara on Friday morning. Those who started the fire are thought to be youngsters who also entered the school and ransacked classrooms and offices.
Madinah police reported 47 thefts and incidents of criminal damage at 47 government schools in the region last year. Twenty-three people — including Saudis, Chadians, Pakistanis and Egyptians — have been arrested in connection with the incidents.
In one incident, an Egyptian caretaker was arrested for robbing 20 schools in the region. The man is thought to have stolen hundreds of air-conditioning units, which were then sold on in the blackmarket.