المملكة: Urgent: A fine of up to half a million riyals.. "today" A draft system for protecting vital facilities is published

The competent authority determines the security requirements necessary for each level of protection, in addition to other requirements required by the nature of protection. Protection is provided after verifying that these requirements are met, and it may be provided before that in cases required by necessity.

The priority for providing protection is determined based on the degree of sensitivity of the facility, the risks surrounding it, and the timing of its need for protection, in addition to the availability of human and financial capabilities and the necessary security equipment at the competent authority.

Article Fifteen of the project clarified that the entities covered by protection – or the protected entity, as the case may be – have a set of essential obligations that guarantee permanent security readiness within the facilities.

The article obligated those entities to fully adhere to the standards, controls and requirements set by the competent authority, and to submit periodic reports dealing with the state of internal security and the extent of Implementing security and emergency plans, in addition to the state of internal armament.

It also stressed the immediate reporting of any emergency security incidents, and providing the information requested by the competent authority related to its work and tasks.

Among the notable provisions of this article is the obligation of establishments to coordinate with the competent authority before any construction work inside the facility, as well as When issuing entry permits for people and vehicles, with the approval of the official forms issued by the security authority.

The article obliges every facility to appoint a liaison officer for direct coordination with the competent authority, and to link the operating rooms within the facility technically with the unified security operations room, in a way that ensures rapid information exchange and emergency response, in addition to any other obligations specified by the regulation. Executive.

In Article Sixteen, the project clearly regulated the issue of arming industrial security personnel, as full supervision of this process was entrusted to the competent authority in the Ministry of Interior, with careful monitoring of the use of weapons and ensuring compliance with its controls.

The powers of the competent authority include licensing arming in accordance with the requirements specified by the regulations, and training industrial security personnel in the use of weapons of various types, in addition to Field inspection of sites to ensure safe and controlled use of weapons.

Article Seventeen emphasized the importance of training and professional qualification, as it stipulated that the competent authority shall provide training courses related to protecting the security of facilities for industrial security personnel, with the possibility of providing these courses to other parties whenever the competent authority deems it appropriate, in a way that ensures a unified level of security competence across various vital sectors.

As for Article Eighteen, it authorizes the competent authority to collect financial compensation for the licenses and services it provides, provided that its value is determined in coordination with the Non-Oil Revenue Development Center, which reflects the state’s orientation towards enhancing its non-oil resources without violating the regulatory controls of security services.

In the chapter on violations, Article Nineteen came to specify the actions that are considered violations of the provisions of the system, the most prominent of which are entering a prohibited facility without a permit or with an invalid permit, staying inside it for a longer period than authorized, and refusing inspection or failure to comply with the security requirements specified by the competent authority.

The article also included a ban on photographing prohibited facilities or Attempting to photograph it, as a violation of national security, in addition to any other violations that will be determined by the executive regulations later.

Article 20 came to set a clear framework for the penalties resulting from violations, as it stipulated that – without prejudice to any more severe penalty – anyone who violates the provisions of the system or contributes to committing violations shall be punished with a warning or a fine not exceeding 100 thousand riyals, or a temporary suspension of the license, or its final cancellation.

The article confirmed that the penalties are determined according to the size of The violation, its nature, frequency, and seriousness, taking into account the aggravating or mitigating circumstances. The system also obliges the minister to issue a schedule for classifying violations and the corresponding penalties according to the principle of gradualism.

A notable provision in this article also is referring violating public employees to the competent disciplinary authorities, while granting the minister the authority to report it to the Prime Minister in the event that establishments do not comply with the provisions. The system.

It also clarified the mechanism for grievance against penalties within 30 days before a competent committee, with the possibility of resorting to the competent court within 60 days if the committee upholds the penalty, which enhances transparency and justice in implementing the system.

In Article Twenty-Two, the draft stipulates the formation of one or more committees by a decision of the Minister, with no less than three members, one of whom shall be a specialist in Sharia or regulations, which will look into violations of the provisions of the system and impose penalties.

The article also requires that the rules of the committee’s work and the remuneration of its members be determined by a decision of the Minister, with complainants being given the right to appeal its decisions before the competent court within 60 days. From the date of notification.

As for Article Twenty-Three, it deals with crimes that directly affect the security of establishments, and imposes penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of half a million riyals, or both.

The most prominent of these crimes are: entering or attempting to enter by force or by infiltration into a prohibited facility, assaulting employees of the competent authority or industrial security personnel or obstructing them from performing their duties, assaulting covered establishments. protection or its facilities for any non-terrorist purpose, impersonation for the purpose of entering a protected facility, misuse, neglect or loss of weapons by industrial security personnel.

Article Twenty-Four specifies that the Public Prosecution is the competent authority to investigate crimes related to the security of facilities, and to file a criminal case and initiate it before the competent court, in confirmation of the importance of the independence of the investigation and the promotion of justice in sensitive security cases.

The project concluded its articles by specifying a period of 180 days for the minister to issue the executive regulations after publishing the system in the Official Gazette, provided that the system will be implemented 180 days after the date of its publication, which gives the concerned authorities sufficient period to prepare for full implementation.