Fear of a wave of mass robberies … and the rise of personal safety

Reda Sawaya wrote in “Al-Akhbar”: After the demand for iron safes at the beginning of the crisis, the “market” for alert and surveillance devices and private security companies is booming, in the context of fears of a widespread wave of robberies accompanied by high rates of poverty. The high cost of these devices makes them the exclusive property of the rich, which means that the poor can only steal from the poor.

Economists’ estimates confirm that Lebanese households have become “mini-banks” with more than three billion dollars, after they lost confidence in the banking system that stole their money. Therefore, the “trade” in iron safes, the demand for which increased by more than 40%, has flourished with the onset of the economic crisis. However, with the deepening crisis and rising poverty rates, often accompanied by an increase in robberies and petty crimes, iron alone is no longer enough to reassure people. Today, many are looking for more secure means, as indicated by the massive growth in demand for alarms, surveillance cameras and even private security companies.

The sales engineer of “Karam Electronics”, Charbel Ramez Al-Hajj, points out that the sales of protection devices “have increased in the last two months by approximately 30%”, while the director of the company “Polaris”, Maroun Nassif, confirms the growth in demand “by approximately 25%”. Al-Hajj explained that alarm sensors Cameras are more popular than cameras because they are more effective in scaring the thief and pushing him to flee. ” In the end, the cameras are fixed and do not make noise and can be ineffective if the person is masked. The importance of alarm sensors lies in their ability to notify the owner of the house or establishment, through his cell phone, of any illegal entry to his property if he is away from the house or traveling.

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