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by Javier Tovar
© Agence France-Presse
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — In a wealthy neighborhood east of Caracas, a bodyguard flashes his rifle as a personal armored automobile with darkish tinted home windows speeds away underneath his intimidating watch.
In Venezuela, some of the violent international locations on this planet, having an armed escort has lengthy been a protect towards kidnapping, and worse.
At the moment, it’s more and more additionally a show of standing.
Within the well-to-do neighborhoods of the capital, two-car convoys of armored 4X4s with out quantity plates are a typical sight, disregarding pace limits and pink site visitors lights.
They zigzag by site visitors with blaring sirens and flashing pink and blue lights, nearly like police fleet.
Some are accompanied by a bike for a fast getaway, if wanted.
Who’s the valuable cargo?
Members of Venezuela’s moneyed class — public officers or entrepreneurs, particularly these colloquially known as the “enchufados” (plugged-ins) for his or her worthwhile enterprise dealings, usually illicit, with the federal government.
‘A necessity for standing’
Venezuela is among the many globe’s high seven most violent international locations, in response to a World Financial institution report based mostly on 2018 knowledge.
Final 12 months, criminals dedicated 8.5 murders every single day, in response to the Venezuela Violence Observatory, an NGO.
However the homicide charge is slowly declining, from a excessive of 63.3 “intentional homicides” per 100,000 folks in 2014 to 36.7 per 100,000 in 2018, in response to World Financial institution figures.
Kidnapping — one of many primary causes of an explosion of personal safety guards and armored convoys about eight years in the past — can be on the decline, partly resulting from harder police and army motion towards legal gangs.
And in a rustic the place violence has develop into part of life, “the bodyguard at this time represents much less a necessity for safety, extra a necessity for standing,” criminologist Javier Gorrino informed AFP. “The extra guards you have got, the upper your financial and political stage.”
Bag carriers
Exterior eating places and purchasing malls, it is not uncommon to see dozens of bodyguards ready by their bosses’ automobiles.
Some accompany their purchasers to the outlets or hairdresser, even carry their luggage.
With civilians legally prohibited from carrying firearms since 2019, the booming safety commerce has been a boon for police and troopers who work part-time as bodyguards, utilizing their service pistols — which is authorized.
They’ll earn “six, seven instances their wage,” in response to Gorrino.
On the tender age of 21, Angel Pinto has left behind a paramedic profession to develop into a bodyguard.
“I come from a household of law enforcement officials,” he informed AFP, and subsequently “felt comfy” with the transition that allowed principally “to earn extra.”
Sarkis Sako, an teacher who has been working in non-public safety for 14 years, stated a bodyguard can earn between $300 and $500 a month, in comparison with a newbie cop wage of about $114.
For the privilege, a bodyguard “must be ready to present his life for his consumer,” stated Sako, who teaches hand-to-hand fight, goal taking pictures and different expertise.
A primary safety service, with two bodyguards, will price a consumer about $3,000 a month, stated Sako, in a rustic the place three in 4 folks reside in excessive poverty.
The official minimal wage in Venezuela is about $30 a month.
© Agence France-Presse
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