Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman issued a number of royal decrees on Thursday creating a security authority known as the “The Presidency for State Security” linked with the Prime Minister’s Office.
Another royal decree separated from the Ministry of Interior the Directorate General of Intelligence, Special Security Forces, Special Emergency Forces, Security Aviation, General Administration for Technical Affairs, and National Information Center.
These will now be linked to the Presidency for State Security.
All that is related to the tasks of State Security will be transferred from the Security Affairs Agency and other authorities in the Ministry of Interior to the Presidency for State Security.
These include the functions of military and civil employees, budgets, documents and data.
Another Royal decree terminated the military services of General Abdulaziz Bin Muhammad Al-Huwairini and appointed him as Chief of State Security with the rank of minister. He will continue in his post as Director General of General Intelligence.
Another royal order appointed the Minister of Interior as member of the Council for Political and Security Affairs.
A royal decree appointing Abdullah Abdulkareem Bin Abdulaziz Al-Isa as Assistant Chief of State Security in the rank of minister has been issued.
The Chief of State Security shall be a member of the Council for Political and Security Affairs.
The setting up of the Presidency for State Security will enable the Ministry of Interior to provide better services to citizens and expatriates.
The Presidency will enable the authorities to focus on monitoring and combating terror funding. The Presidency will be able to communicate with related authorities abroad and it will be more efficient.
The establishment of the state security apparatus will have a positive economic effect by rationalizing state expenditure, increasing revenues, achieving economic growth in the Kingdom, creating competitiveness for the Saudi economy, growth of exports and improving the balance of payments for the Kingdom and decreasing dependence on revenues from outside the Kingdom.
The establishment of the Presidency will save tens of billions of Saudi riyals from the state budget by raising work efficiency, reducing and rationalizing spending.
The increase in revenues will have a positive effect on government spending on social services and infrastructure.
This decision represents the vision of the late Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved and supported this vision and the concept of the Presidency for State Security is exists in the best implemented practices.