The Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai'a) has been reviewing its policies and procedures for a better service to the public, said the agency's chief Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Humayyen, at the recent launch of its 20-year strategic plan. The “few” mistakes committed by the Hai'a against the public were merely “misjudgments from field staffers rather than intentional violations of the rules,” he said, amid rising criticism of the field operations of Hai'a officers. Al-Humayyen's comments came during the inauguration of a week-long workshop held in Riyadh Monday to outline the strategic work plan of the Hai'a. The plan called “Hisba” is designed to improve the public performance of the Hai'a across the Kingdom. Hisba is an Islamic concept commanding the good and forbidding the evil through the imposition of Islamic values. The Hai'a has created a strategic planning department to follow field operations and to help bring about the change needed to carry out the concept of Hisba, Al-Humayyen said. The work of the Hai'a is going through a massive transformation to meet the spirit of the new age with positive change, he added, emphasizing that Hai'a chiefs around the Kingdom have reacted positively to the new plan. Over the next 20 years, the plan will focus on improving recruitment policies, developing and training of human resources and field work. The Hai'a has recently created a human rights department as part of its new direction for change, approved by the higher authorities of state administration, he said. Part of the plan is to create a strategic partnership with society, government departments, and universities, he added. The Hai'a has benefited a great deal from scholarly chairs and research over the past few months, in a move to bring its new identity out into the public, Al
