Business leaders in the country say crime is costing them millions of dollars to protect their businesses, with some being forced to shell out over ten million annually to protect themselves and their employees. They want the government to find effective solutions to the crime scourge. Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) President Gregory Aboud representing business owners from Port-of-Spain and environs said they are spending $10 million annually to protect their lives, earnings, goods, and premises. Aboud said: “A major component of security turned out to be cash-in-transit services which is an armed courier that will come to your premises to collect sales and take it and deposit it to the bank,”.
Other business leaders echoed similar sentiments with San Fernando Business Association Daphne Bartlett admitting that the cost of private security is substantial for business operators in the southern city. She said: “With the increase in crime, businesses had to beef up security. They had to put in more CCTV cameras. Others have also upgraded their security cameras.”
Bartlett also said that they are rippled all around: “Some business owners have been retaining armed security guards to escort them from their businesses to their homes and vice versa: Many business owners are hiring security guards in their homes because they are scared of home invasions. It has now become overbearing.”