Two foreigners working as security guards in police custody.

The police in Madinah have arrested large numbers of expatriates employed as security guards in the region, following similar operations in Riyadh.

Maj. Gen. Abdul Hadi Al-Shahrani, police chief in the city, supervised the operations at markets, malls, private hospitals and various businesses.

Col. Fahd Al-Ghannam, spokesman for Madinah police, said the suspects would be held while investigations are under way. The sponsors of the workers have been summoned for questioning.

Last week, the police in Riyadh found that several firms had employed non-Saudis as security guards.

It is a statutory requirement for companies to hire Saudis and pay them SR3,000 a month, but many employ expatriates for SR1,000 a month, said a police officer with the private civil security division of the Riyadh police.

Meanwhile, the owner of a leading security firm in Jeddah, who did not want to be named, stressed that there was need to train security guards. “Ninety percent of the security guards in the city are not qualified,” he said.

Security guards working for hospitals, commercial complexes and amusement parks need special training because they deal with a huge number of people every day, he said.

He said general commercial establishments should not be allowed to recruit their own security guards. Only companies in the security sector should do so.

Abdul Hadi Al-Qahtani, chairman of the security guards and safety committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said security guards are not trained because the government does not issue licenses to private organizations to do so.

“We have been trying to get a license for many years for training in the private sector.” He said the sector has the potential to create 50,000 jobs for Saudis.

Police recently also arrested some security guards who were wearing uniforms identical to those of patrol police officers. The raids were part of a campaign launched by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar. The owners of the firms have been summoned for further questioning.

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