How Saudi General Security Aviation ensures safety at the Holy Sites from above

At an altitude of 2,000 to 3,000 thousand feet, Saudi Arabia’s General Security Aviation Command carries aerial surveillance to monitor the security of the areas around the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

The command belonging to the Ministry of Interior covers all sites where pilgrims and worshipers are present during the Hajj and Umrah. The aerial shots taken for these holy sites from above are quite breathtaking.

Assistant for Umrah aerial security forces, Major General Shaile bin Yusuf Al-Shaeel told Al Arabiya.net the aerial surveillance includes a follow up on traffic in roads leading to the Grand Mosque.

He said the main task of the command requires monitoring the entrance of pilgrims to Makkah and other central areas. The purpose is to monitor crowd management leading to these sites.

The command works around the clock, 24-hours on a daily basis, to ensure public security specifically during peak hours, in the central areas, which witness larger numbers of worshippers during Sunset prayers and until after Taraweeh prayers.

The type of aircrafts dedicated to this sort of security operations, including the Cougar and Black Hawk.