Saudi policemen stand guard in front of a governmental building in Riyadh.

The Ministry of Interior has implemented a system using advanced technology to monitor the country’s land, air and sea borders against any infiltrator attempts to breach the Kingdom’s borders.

The ministry, represented in the General Directorate of Border Guards, and in cooperation with the General Command of Aviation Security, has enforced the necessary security measures on all borders. The aviation security wing is also monitoring the borders using sophisticated aircraft.

Land border security patrols have also been reinforced with the arrival of the first batch of armored vehicles, which are completely equipped to conduct surveillance missions and provide necessary protection to security officers.

The Ministry of the Interior has also readied plans for other strategic projects, such as a security fence along the northern and southern borders of the country.

The fence will ensure the highest possible security and Border Guards have already reported considerable progress in this regard. The project consists of observation and communications towers, integrated radar systems and thermal cameras.

The security fence on the northern border, which is 890 kilometers long, is equipped with the latest military technology and has been credited with for the drop in smuggling attempts.

The southern fence is under construction in a very difficult terrain and will consist of an integrated system of radars, optical cameras and laser search devices, in addition to a network of marine sensors that help in detecting and tracking ships.

The General Directorate of Border Guards has five airstrips in the Empty Quarter that provide transportation, medical evacuation and logistics support to Border Guard patrol units.

Minster of Interior Prince Muhammad Bin Naif has approved special planes for transporting Border Guard troops working in the Empty Quarter. The flights will operate 12 times a week and will transport Border Guards personnel and their families from their work place to their homes and back.

Among the advanced equipment utilized by the Border Guards are thermal cameras that have been in use for a few years. These cameras can monitor the country’s borders from a distance of 30 km in open desert. The cameras are installed on monitoring towers and some are shoulder-held equipment for use in mountainous terrain where access by vehicles is difficult.

The General Directorate of Border Guards has employed a number of women officers at border points to inspect women travelers and identify possible infiltrators. These women officers have received the necessary training to respect and preserve the privacy of women in accordance with Islamic teachings.

The directorate pay special attention to training its employees to monitor the country’s 4,500 km-long land and 3,500 km-long sea borders. The Border Guards established two institutes for training, one each in Makkah and Riyadh, in addition to six different training centers in various parts of the Kingdom.

 
[wpResize]