Criminals are using Ramadan's Iftar (breaking of fast) as an opportunity to break into shops, houses and cars, using mostly motorcycles that make it easy for them to flee if they are spotted. A number of shopkeepers and security guards related their experiences of such criminal activity over the past few years. They said that they are taking the necessary precautions this year. A Jeddah mobile phone shopkeeper, Bashir Ibrahim, recounted how 10 phones were stolen from his shop after he closed it for a little more than an hour to break his fast at home. “The theft definitely took place at the time of Iftar when the streets and markets were completely empty. Other shopkeepers related similar stories. Shops inside malls are more fortunate because of the greater security. “Security guards are always here,” said a mall shopkeeper. “Since the mall signed a contract with a security company eight years ago no thefts have taken place,” he added. Another mall shopkeeper said security guards and cameras “make it impossible for thieves to think about a break in, that's why they concentrate on shops outside malls,” he said. Cars are also being targeted in Ramadan. Taxi driver Habeeb Al-Rahman said his car window was shattered and the tape recorder stolen during Maghrib prayer last Ramadan. Some thieves would even steal gas cylinders from stalls. Abu Bandar, who sells pastries at a stall in Ramadan every year, said that last year his gas cylinder was stolen every week. He had to buy a replacement each time. However, Abdullah Al-Qarni, an official in Jeddah's old District of Quraiyat, said the crime rate declines during Ramadan, and has done so particularly over the last three years. He said the decline is due to the increased police presence, adding that old districts do not see an increase in theft during Iftar because they are crowded with people all the time. Abdul Samad Muhammad, an official in Al-Yaman District, said the security situation “is good and we don't have a theft problem. Thefts are dealt with directly and swiftly without delay by law enforcement bodies”. Police contend that the crime rate in general has noticeably declined over the last two years. First Lt. Nawwaf Al-Bouq, Jeddah Police's acting spokesman, said the presence of undercover security officers, including the presence of police patrols, have contributed to the fall in crime. Undercover police agents have also foiled many attempted criminal acts, he said.
