Riyadh police detain illegal guards

Riyadh police have arrested 784 illegal workers over the past two weeks including private security guards wearing uniforms identical to those of patrol officers.
The raids were ordered by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, and included several government departments. The police have summoned the employers of some of the illegal workers and security guards for questioning.
The suspects included workers without residency permits, those doing jobs not stated on their permits, others working for people not their sponsors, absconders and illegal hawkers.
Raids were conducted across the city at public malls, parks, construction sites, streets and alleys. During the operations, the police cordoned off the targeted areas to prevent the workers from running away.
The authorities conduct regular raids to arrest illegal workers and those involved in theft, sorcery, employing illegal workers and brewing liquor. According to officials, most crimes in the Kingdom are committed by illegal residents who have overstayed their visas.
During the amnesty period offered by the late King Abdullah, iIlegal residents were allowed to leave the Kingdom without any penalties. The Ministry of Interior had earlier advised all illegal expatriates in the Kingdom to correct their work and residency status following the end of the amnesty period on Nov. 1, 2013 or leave the country.
The official pointed out that those arrested would be investigated and subject to fines or deportation depending on the nature of their offenses.