Cultural clashes common complaints in old neighbourhoods
Bader Al Saeed
Cultural clashes between citizens and expatriate labourers in old neighbourhoods constitute the majority of police complaints in Muharraq.
Conservative Bahraini residents find the labourers’ lifestyle disturbing, according to the General Director of Muharraq Governorate Police, Col. Dawood Saleh.
“We have been receiving complaints from locals about shirtless labourers or those who sit outside their labour camps staring at neighbours’ doors or windows,” he said. “Loud music at night is another complaint.”
Cultural clashes common complaints in old neighbourhoods
Bader Al Saeed
Cultural clashes between citizens and expatriate labourers in old neighbourhoods constitute the majority of police complaints in Muharraq.
Conservative Bahraini residents find the labourers’ lifestyle disturbing, according to the General Director of Muharraq Governorate Police, Col. Dawood Saleh.
“We have been receiving complaints from locals about shirtless labourers or those who sit outside their labour camps staring at neighbours’ doors or windows,” he said. “Loud music at night is another complaint.”
Col. Saleh said the police alone could not solve the problems as many authorities, mainly the municipal council, were involved.
To solve the problem, the police have recommended the formation of a joint committee of representatives from the ministries concerned to study mechanisms to solve problems of labour camps in old neighbourhoods.
He said robberies had been very few in Muharraq because of the one-family spirit among the residents. “The crime rate is low in the governorate, and most of the time the victims are to be blamed for the thefts.”
He said many residents continue to think that they were living in the sixties or seventies and keeping houses or cars unlocked, making it easy for thieves to strike.
“Unfortunately, many people do not know how to protect themselves from criminals and were not aware of basic security measures,” Col. Saleh said, calling on contractors and owners of the houses under construction to hire security guards to protect building materials from being stolen from the worksites.
Col Saleh said the Muharraq police were always keen to reinforce security in the area by responding to complaints at the earliest and adopting the latest crime prevention methods, especially enhancing security awareness.
“I’m fortunate to be working in Muharraq because of the tolerance among its citizens as most families know each other and have been living in the area for generations,” he said.
In order to further reduce the crime rate in Muharraq and other parts of the Kingdom, Col. Saleh said, the public should cooperate with the security forces and report all suspicious acts they saw. “The police cannot guard every house and that is why citizens should inform us about criminals.”
Praising the role of the community police, he said, “These policemen have strengthened cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and the public because the latter feel comfortable to talk to them about security problems. The community police personnel are familiar faces in the neighbourhoods and that makes their job easier.”
Col Saleh said public-police cooperation had led to a drop in the number of beggars in areas GCC citizens visited.
He said the Samaheej Police Station in the governorate had started receiving complaints, while the Dry Dock Check Point was being developed to keep pace with the industrial development in the area. Col. Saleh said a high-tech control room would be established soon to link all stations and provide fast and effective security services.
Article from: Bahrain Tribune Newspaper