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Insecurity Costing Us More and More

Paying for armed custody, satellite tracking and “tolls” to armed gangs are some of the additional costs that must be paid when transporting goods in Central America.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

©image: PhotoXpress

Some transportation companies state that $14.000 must be paid each year in security related costs for a single truck carrying goods within the Central American region.

An executive from a Costa Rican company with regional operations confirmed that they pay an $80 toll to Guatemalan gangs to ensure safe circulation within that country’s capital city.

These surcharges are paid by the producing company, the importer or the exporter. Transportation companies pay for GPS tracking and monitoring. But in the end, as stated in a Nacion.com article, “these costs are transferred to the consumer, said Gastón Monge, from Grupo M, a regional company who has suffered the effects of crime in the isthmus”.

Source: Nacion.com

Countries

Central America

Insight

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Costa Rica: Growth in Private Security Spending

June 2011

Firms spent $174 million in security for their businesses in 2009, however in 2010 the expenditure amounted to $190 million.

A study by the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce reveals that 42% of those surveyed said they had been a victim of violence.

"... We are convinced that the government has not fulfilled its part, ...

Businesses say NO to Security Tax

July 2011

Governments should control tax evasion, expand the tax base and combat corruption, increasing revenue to finance the fight against insecurity.

A statement by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Central America (FECAMCO) reads:

THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING AND SOCIAL VIOLENCE DOES NOT SOLEY DEPEND ON MORE TAXES

100.000 Gang Members in Central America

March 2010

Organized crime, especially the one related to drug trafficking, recruits its members in young, marginalized populations.

Antonio María Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), stated that “Central America is very vulnerable to organized crime, due to a series of factors which include underdevelopment, large flow of guns and a young population”.

Security: Essential for Development

January 2011

Central American businesses demand from governments clear mechanisms to combat insecurity in the region.

The president of the Federation of Private Entities of Central America, Panama and Dominican Republic (FEDEPRICAP), Carlos Amador, said, "Central America is threatened by drug trafficking, gangs and transnational organized crime and to help combat these problems there is an need for a united isthmus."

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