I recently moved to a new town and security here in is very high:
This is not a complaint. It's a series of observations.
Having said all that, I've not seen any sign of crime at all, and everyone tells me how quiet and safe this place is. I wonder if this security is the reason for the crime I've not seen, or if this is just a way to create jobs in a crushed economy.
Please comment.
- Multiple guards in every mall and parking lots (which are gated);
- Mobile money guards with shotguns and ammo belts;
- Gated communities everywhere, with multiple guards;
- Police travel in groups (with automatic rifles);
- Iron bars on all street-level windows, even on the ones inside the gated community;
- No cell phones, sunglasses or hats inside banks.
- To get a cell phone you Have to register the phone's number to your government issue ID.
- To rent an apartment you NEED a guarantor.
- To exit a free parking lot you need to get a ticket on the way in, then validate it at one of the shops before leaving and handing it to the gate operator.
- In the parking lots there are people helping you enter and exit parking spaces, and when it's raining they have a big umbrella. Not really security in function, but certainly a deterrent.
- To open a bank account you need ID (duh) + the printed invoice from phone, cable, gas, water, electric or Internet with your name and address on it (no, lease agreement isn't acceptable).
This is not a complaint. It's a series of observations.
Having said all that, I've not seen any sign of crime at all, and everyone tells me how quiet and safe this place is. I wonder if this security is the reason for the crime I've not seen, or if this is just a way to create jobs in a crushed economy.
Please comment.
AIM: GrouchyGfy
Comment