Officials speaking at the workshop
The Community Police section at North Security Department (NSD) has organised a workshop on the “risks” of labour accommodation within family residential areas at the headquarters of Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
CID director Brigadier Musfir Ali al-Hababi, Director of Search and Follow up Department (SFD) Col Nasser Mohamed al-Sayed, CID assistant director  Col Jamal Mohamed al-Kaabi, head of the Community Police Section at North Security Department Lt Col Ahmed Zayed al-Muhannadi, Shura Council member Jabar bin Ali al-Nuaimi,  Umm Salal Municipality director Nasser bin Hassan and a number of company managers attended the workshop.
Lt Col Ahmed Zayed al-Muhannadi said that the law No 15/2012,  on the issue of labour accommodation in family residential areas, had been welcomed by the nationals and expatriates alike.
“The Ministry of Interior had started to address the issue even before the law was enacted, through awareness and prevention and we are fully aware of the social, security and moral risks of this phenomenon,” he emphasised. Lt Col al-Muhannadi added that the workshop was organised to activate the partnership with municipalities and to draw out a mechanism for achieving the desired objectives of the law in maintaining security and order. He also said labour accommodation in family areas breached the rights of families, as they felt their privacy were at risk and also because social integration became difficult as the lifestyles between the two differed.
“It breaches the rights of labourers also as they are not provided with a suitable and healthy living environment and other facilities.”
Col Al-Sayed said that the problem gave violators a chance to seek safe asylum among them and it also created disturbance for families, especially during weekends and holidays.
Major Mabkhoot Salim al-Marri from the community police section at Rayyan Security Department, legal expert at Ministry of Municipalities and Urban Development Dr Ahmed Mohamed Abu Musthafa, legal expert at NSD Dr Mohamed al-Ameen Abu Hajjar and legal researcher Ahmed Gaith al-Kuwari presented papers on various issues of the subject including the social and legal consequences.
The workshop recommended the need for a comprehensive plan in partnership with all concerned sectors and to study the issue by community policing, through legislation on the rights of workers in relation with residence,  social care and by raising awareness among labourers on the importance of maintaining norms and values of the Qatari community.
The recommendations  include training the concerned persons on the law No15/2012 to create awareness on the procedures and powers given by the law.
 It calls for co-operation with bodies that have roles in implementing the law such as Qtel and Kahramaa to find out the owners and to disconnect services to violators.
The workshop called for establishing permanent security checkpoints in those areas and to create a database comprising details of the areas, real estate owners, tenancy contracts and workers, with the details being updated periodically.