Doha steps up security by installing CCTVs in malls

Installing security cameras in Doha’s public places, including major shopping complexes, will boost security, a Qatari official has said.

Brigadier Nasser Jabr Al Nuaimi, head of the Capital Security Department, said the camera-monitored public security system will cover arterial roads, prominent public spots and shopping centres.

Gulf News reports that the project was launched even though, based on statistics, crime is on the decline in Qatar and the actual rate was not alarming, he said. Qatar tops public safety rankings in the Middle East and holds the 16th rank globally.

The number of offenses dropped from 4,677 in the first quarter of last year to 3,397 in the first three months of this year, Al Nuaimi said.

Although the jurisdiction of the Capital Police is smaller than that of other public security departments in the country, more crimes (1,750 of a total of 4,677) were reported in Doha in the first quarter of last year.

Al Nuaimi attributed the figure to the much higher population density and to the location of most commercial establishments within the Doha jurisdiction, according to Qatari daily The Peninsula.

The official said Qatar’s economic boom has caused a large influx of foreign workers.

“The diversity of nationalities and cultures is a major challenge we face in combating and avoiding crimes,” he said, quoted by the daily.