Manama: In a breakthrough development, Saudi female officers will be deployed at the passport control counters at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdul Aziz airport in Madina.

“In preparation for the opening of the new airport and in line with the commitment to enhance the services presented by the passports general directorate, 32 women have been trained on the passport control procedures,” Hisham Al Raddadi, the spokesperson for passports in Madina, said. “The officers, 23 with military ranks and nine civilians, received training on the procedures to enter passenger and passport details and fingerprints. They will be deployed at the arrival and departure counters in the new airport and they will stamp the passports after checking all the details,” he said, quoted by local daily Al Watan.

Prior to the deployment decision, women officers at airports were tasked only with checking the identity of female passengers who wore niqab, the face covering veil.

Al Raddadi said that the move was part of the drive to improve the working environment.

“We have been trained on the new tasks that included registering passengers arriving in the kingdom or leaving it,” Mahra Al Gharabi said. “The practical side included hands-on training at the new airport.”

Budoor Al Mutairi, another officer, told the daily that they had been trained on recognizing forged passports and on some of the tricks used by passengers to deceive officers, including the use of blood or perfume and tampering with the picture.

“It is a great step for us because our tasks were confined to checking the identities of women passengers,” she said. “Now, we can deal with all passengers and we can do all the passport control work. Several officers have been trained to help ensure smooth and speedy procedures for all passengers at the new airport,” she said.

In December, security authorities started deploying women officers on the Kingdom’s highways and roads to check the identity of female passengers in a bid to apprehend terrorists and criminals disguised as fully veiled females.

The decision was made after female passengers refused to allow male officers to check their identity and uncover their faces.

But determined to apply a zero-tolerance towards terrorism, the authorities decided to deploy female officers to assist in the fight.