Sarhani, chief of the Madina Police, has described last December's abduction of new-born boy Anas as a “very rare case”. He added that the abduction was treated as a criminal case and handled through strict security measures that resulted in the child's safe return to his parents. Anas was taken from his cot at Madina's Children's and Maternity Hospital by a Burmese woman when he was less than a day old. The woman, who had a miscarriage at the hospital, took the opportunity to snatch the baby and returned home, claiming that the child was her own. A few days later she broke down and told some relatives the truth. Together, they arranged for the baby to be left on a city sidewalk and then contacted the child's parents to tell them of the boy's whereabouts. The woman was traced by police soon after and was arrested. Al-Sarhani, speaking in interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, also denied that the Madina police failed in dealing with the repeated fights in the city's Quba district. “We can assure that we will not allow this kind of things in this city and our efforts are continuing in order to maintain security and preserve people's rights,” he said. “The fights are being dealt with according to their nature, and all culprits are booked in accordance with penal regulation procedures.” The police chief also spoke on the issue of the treatment of housemaids following two incidents in Madina that have received press coverage. “Cases of housemaids and their employers involve several official bodies, and our role is to deal with these cases within our duties and tasks defined by the law,” he said. “Preventing them from happening requires commitment to the teachings of our religion on how to deal with housemaids.” Another issue that stirred controversy in Madina is the installation of the Saher traffic camera system after some devices had been vandalized by disgruntled drivers. “The Saher system is an electronic monitoring system that is used in most advanced countries, and although it is new here, the results so far have been positive and beneficial,” he said. “The system has helped reduce reckless speeding, and is constantly under review with an eye to developing it to achieve good results when all of the phases of the scheme are completed.” Al-Sarhani, however, said that “greater awareness” was required for the public to appreciate the “positive aspects of the system”.
