A police official said most of those caught were foreign nationals.
He also pointed out that action has been taken against these beggars on a special directive from Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, who wants to see the city free of those who try to take advantage of the generosity of people.
The foreigners will be deported, while Saudi nationals will be sent for a rehabilitation program facilitated by the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Last year, the police rounded up 60,000 beggars in the central region. Almost two thirds were men, a quarter women, and the rest children.
A police spokesman urged the public not to fall prey to the cooked up tales of beggars who ask for their money.
The official said that members of the public could refer beggars to charitable organizations that have special programs to rehabilitate them. “Some of these beggars try to exploit the kindness of people for their own benefit.”
The beggars are also a menace to shoppers, motorists and pedestrians in the capital, he added.
In Jeddah, a shelter for child beggars run by the Al-Bir Welfare Society has deported over 6,000 children and released over 1,500 after obtaining residence permits for them since it was founded seven years ago.
According to shelter’s director Zarie Al-Hakami, this year alone 411 children were placed into their care, of which 363 were deported to their respective countries.
Eighteen were handed over to their families, who signed a pledge never to beg again. He added that between five and 10 children are brought to the center every day. The center is currently looking after 30 children of different nationalities, including eight girls.
According to Al-Hakami, the majority of the children are from Afghanistan, Nigeria, Yemen and Chad.
He said the center works in close cooperation with security forces, including the passport police.
“These departments bring the children to the center when their parents are in the detention center, waiting either to be deported or released once they rectify their residence situation,” he said.
The Al-Bir Welfare Society runs four orphanages in the city of Jeddah, housing a total of 300 children.
“The children are picked up at traffic lights and intersections,” the official said.
A survey conducted by UNICEF in 2007 found that up to half of child beggars in the Kingdom entered the country with their parents.
It is reported that Saudi authorities arrest each month around 3,500 Yemeni children who are smuggled into the country to work or beg.
