The Face of Private Policing
In Latin America, private security is exploding.
We look at the guards taking on the challenge.
To see interactive click link below:
SYNOPSIS/
Former soldiers seeking a place for their skills. Adrenaline junkies craving excitement. Moonlighting cops needing extra cash. Mothers trying to make ends meet: For a growing number of people, Latin America’s lack of security is a career opportunity.
Nearly 4 million private security guards now work across the region, filling the gap left by weak and corrupt police forces. The industry is attracting men and women, most from poor backgrounds and with little education, who risk their lives for a steady paycheck.
Latin America is the only region in the world where lethal violence increased between 2000 and 2012, reaching an epidemic level.
The industry is projected to soon be worth $17 billion across the region, more than the entire economies of Panama, Costa Rica or Uruguay. The ratio of private guards to police officers in Latin America is far greater than the global average of 2-to-1. In Brazil, it’s 4-to-1; in Guatemala, 5-to-1; and in Honduras, close to 7-to-1.
Some of the private guards pass tough training courses to join elite forces, where they’re armed with guns and earn thousands of dollars a month. Others take home far less and have to confront threats with batons and machetes.
They all, however, have at least one thing in common _ they head into their days uncertain of what risks will come.
