The Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has teamed up with Mosques and Propagation Department of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in a campaign aimed at countering begging near mosques and other localities during the ongoing Ramadan.Announcing this at a joint meeting of the ministries, attended by senior officials, plans to counter begging during the holy month were announced.Speaking at the meeting, CID director Brigadier Musfir al-Ahbabi said along with the campaign to spread awareness about the negative effects of begging and its impact on the community, efforts would also be made to nab beggars from different locations. He also sought public co-operation to make the campaign successful.Even though begging in the country has not reached worrying levels, it is high time the situation was brought under control before it spread to more areas, Brigadier al-Ahbabi said.Mosque department director Ali Rashid al-Mohannadi said the department would direct all 700 Imams and preachers working under the department to spread awareness on the issue.Besides al-Ahbabi and al-Mohannadi, assistant director of CID Colonel Jamal Mohamed al-Kaabi, head of anti-begging section Captain Rashid Mohamed al-Hajri, assistant director of mosques and propagation department, Hamad bin Abdulla al-Muhanna, head of supervision section in mosques department, Mohamed Yousuf al-Ibrahim, and acting heads of Imams and Preachers section Malallah Abdul Rahman al-Jabir were among others present.The meeting decided to circulate telephone numbers assigned for the purpose, among the Imams, preachers, media and general public. The numbers are 44823455, 44714222, 44714220.