Garden and utility vandals and wall polluters are under surveillance!

Citizens called for regulatory authorities to prosecute those responsible for vandalizing bus stations in the Holy Capital. They agreed on the need to equip the stations with surveillance cameras. Okaz visited some of these sites and captured images of these childish acts, which are unacceptable to society in Makkah.

Nafeh Al-Salmi says, "Only a few days had passed since the passenger station next to my house was ready for operation when teenagers invaded it and vandalized it for no apparent reason, due to their strange behavior. We must intensify media campaigns to educate young people about preserving public property."

From another perspective, Abdullah Al-Lahyani called on the operators of passenger transport facilities in Makkah Al-Mukarramah to equip these facilities with 24-hour security cameras to monitor any aggressor and impose deterrent penalties to curb their growth and spread, while preserving what remains of these stations.

Badr Al-Hazmi said, "I have a gut-wrenching feeling when I see the signs smashed for no fault of my own. The glass frames must be replaced with plastic to prevent breakage and damage, and the harshest penalties must be imposed on anyone who tamperes with public facilities." The same applies to stations and other public facilities that are subject to vandals.

Wandering in the wilderness

The spokesperson for the Holy Capital Municipality said: “The Municipality has established regulations and laws to maintain facilities and ensure their continued good condition. It has also implemented numerous initiatives and awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of these parks and public facilities, how to use them properly, avoid vandalizing them, and preserve them as a breathing space for community members. The Municipality also places awareness signs and billboards to instill correct values ​​and behaviors. It is a national, religious, and moral duty that requires us to work together, as it is everyone’s responsibility.” He pointed out that the Municipality sometimes monitors some observations and violations, in which case the regulatory procedure is applied to the violators, using the violator’s ID number and applying the fine stipulated in the system.

Al-Zaytouni explained that the Municipality intends to install surveillance cameras in public parks in the coming period. A study of the project has been included in the 2024 plan, and a number of sites have been identified for the first phase. Monitoring will be conducted through a dedicated, state-of-the-art surveillance room, which will be linked to the relevant security agencies.

Cameras in parks

Environmental activist Fayez Al-Sarihi asserts that the greatest threat to the wildlife is the lack of awareness among some families about the excessive dumping of waste from their trips without collecting it. He points to the large amount of plastic materials scattered throughout the wilderness. He underscores the need to raise awareness about preserving natural parks and to impose deterrent penalties on anyone who attempts to tamper with or deface them.

Osama Zaitouni, spokesperson for the Holy Capital Municipality, emphasized that public parks and gardens are important facilities that aim to create a clean and relaxing environment for residents, as well as provide suitable and accessible places for enjoyable leisure time.

He explained that the Secretariat is keen to equip these areas with everything necessary, including seating and rest chairs, children's toys, exercise equipment such as jogging and walking, and various aesthetic facilities, all of which aim to improve the quality of life.

The presence of these services is essential, as they provide residents with an outlet and a natural lung for the city, thanks to the trees and plants that give the area a civilized appearance and provide an opportunity to breathe fresh air.

Double the penalty in this case

Lawyer and legal advisor Majed Al-Ahmari, regarding the destruction of public roads, says: Article 5 stipulates that anyone who intentionally destroys, cuts, or disables any public utility extensions or installations shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding 100,000 riyals, or by either of these two penalties, whether the perpetrator is the principal or an accomplice. Article 6 stipulates that anyone who causes the destruction, cutting, or disabling of any public utility extensions shall be punished by a fine not exceeding 100,000 riyals. If the perpetrator is a contractor, future contracts may be prohibited for a period not exceeding six months. In the event of a repeat offense, a ban on contracts may be imposed for a period exceeding the maximum period prescribed, provided that the period does not exceed double that period. The penalties imposed shall be published in local newspapers at the expense of the convicted person.

He pointed out that Article 7 of the same system included a penalty of a fine not exceeding 50,000 riyals for anyone who encroaches on public utility facilities or networks with the intent of illegally benefiting from their services, as well as anyone who encroaches on railways or public roads or their sanctuaries by usurping part of them or constructing facilities of any kind on them, or making cuts or holes in their surfaces, shoulders, slopes or parking areas, or taking soil from them, or destroying the signals or kilometer markers in them, or the industrial works implemented for them such as bridges, tunnels and others.

He added that Article Nine stipulates a fine not exceeding two thousand riyals for any beneficiary of public utility services who facilitates others' illegal use of them. Article Ten states that in the event of a repeat of any of the violations stipulated in this system, a penalty may be imposed that exceeds the maximum fine, provided that it does not exceed double that limit.

The destroyer bears responsibility

Legal Advisor Al-Ahmari confirmed that the penalty extends to the destruction of public property and facilities such as parks and bus stations. Public property differs from private property in that it is available to everyone, and examples include streets, parks, libraries, hospitals, schools, universities, and anything owned by the state. The Public Facilities Protection System includes 15 articles, most notably Article Two, which stipulates that before undertaking any action that may affect the networks and facilities of any public facility, plans and instructions for that facility must be obtained from the competent authority. Maximum precautions must be taken to ensure its protection and that its services are not interrupted for any beneficiary. In the event of damage to any facility, the perpetrator must notify the relevant authority.

Article 3 emphasizes that the departments and companies responsible for managing each facility must take the necessary precautions to protect it and educate others on what must be done to ensure the safety of the facility's networks and facilities. They must submit facility plans and instructions designed to protect the facility to any relevant parties requesting them within a period not exceeding 15 days from the date of receipt of the request. They are responsible for the accuracy of the instructions and plans they submit.

Al-Ahmari, the legal expert, explained that Article 4 stipulates that public utility administrations and companies must coordinate with each other to protect each facility and ensure that any damage sustained is repaired as quickly as possible. To this end, they must announce the person in charge of their respective facilities who can be contacted at any time.

Explicit and implicit social contract

Senior Consultant Psychiatrist and General Manager of the Psychology Experts Center in Jeddah, Dr. Mohammed Al-Hamed, emphasized that the destruction of public property and the devastation of wildlife are closely linked to the cultural level of the individual and society, as well as to the individual's high sense of responsibility and cognitive dimension. He explained that it is well known that preserving property is an explicit social contract, and preserving wildlife is sometimes an implicit social contract and other times an explicit one. However, such matters are linked to the individual's cultural level, which, whenever it declines, diminishes any possibility of commitment and cultural advancement. Such matters are a strong measure of how far an individual, and subsequently society, has reached on the ladder of civilization.

Al-Hamid continues: “Here I am talking about things within their natural context, excluding from my discussion the presence of psychological or mental disorders, personality disorders, or low intelligence, as this category falls outside the scope of this proposal, by which we mean raising the efficiency of our existence on the scale of civilizations by raising the level of awareness among the normal members of society who carry a mature moral conscience. As for the responsibility behind these abnormal phenomena, I believe that it falls on the individual first, then the home and educational institution, and society second, and third on the media, which is responsible for raising the level of sophistication, awareness, and civilization.”

How does treatment begin?

Dr. Al-Hamid pointed out that the most important step toward treatment lies in enacting strict, deterrent laws and implementing them relentlessly against anyone who attacks public property or wildlife. "We need to raise awareness, culture, and understanding of the meaning of civilization and urbanity through schools, homes, and the media," he said.

Al-Hamid calls for the necessity of teaching cultural and civilizational patterns in public schools and universities. It is necessary to raise the level of loyalty to the homeland in all its details, and to raise the level of respect for all natural environments and public property inside and outside the homeland. The religious aspect is not devoid of beauty in its components and presentation on these topics, and it is even rich in verses and hadiths that urge respect for the property of others, including public property, and urge the preservation of natural and wild life. This can leave a strong cultural impact if the presentation is presented in a style that touches the enlightened mind and is consistent with the language and concepts of the era. This is a role assigned to mosque imams through Friday sermons.

Desire for fame and exposure

Educational and family advisor Dr. Saad Al-Omari emphasized that public property is non-enforceable and non-rivalrous; that is, its use by one person does not prevent its use by another. It is of interest to society as it provides basic services, improves the quality of life, and promotes social, economic, cultural, and environmental development. Reasons for vandalizing public property include ignorance, poor upbringing, revenge, rebellion, boredom, entertainment, the desire for fame and belonging, challenge, and relief from stress and psychological problems. Forms of vandalizing public funds and the wildlife include writing on walls, barriers, signs, vehicles, buildings, statues, plaques, and memorials; dumping waste, debris, toxic, radioactive, and polluting materials in streets, sidewalks, gardens, parks, reserves, waterways, and air; and cutting, burning, seizing, and over-exploiting trees, plants, animals, and natural resources.

Advisor Al-Omari highlighted the negative impacts of damaging public property and the wildlife on society, as it leads to numerous negative effects on society, such as the deterioration of services and a decline in the level of security, safety, comfort, well-being, aesthetics, cleanliness, health, education, entertainment, tourism, the economy, biodiversity, and ecological balance. Furthermore, damaging public property and the wildlife increases risks, problems, costs, losses, corruption, and disrupts the country's development process.

What is the solution?

Educational and family advisor Dr. Saad Al-Omari points to a list of solutions to address the phenomenon, including awareness, education, upbringing, guidance, motivation, appreciation, and honoring of individuals, groups, institutions, and organizations that preserve public property and the wildlife and contribute to its development, beautification, cleaning, and improvement. He also calls for oversight, follow-up, inspection, evaluation, reporting, complaints, investigations, accountability, and strict penalties. He adds that public property is important to society because it provides basic services, improves the quality of life, and promotes social, economic, cultural, and environmental development.