Crime wave fuels armored car sales in Caracas

[naaman fletcher]

At a workshop in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, technicians strip down a dozen luxury automobiles and begin the painstaking process of converting them into fortresses on wheels.

The pressure is on as workers swarm over the vehicles, carefully lifting out windows and replacing panels with thick metal plates -- waiting in line outside are more customers with vehicles wanting the same treatment.

The South American country suffers one of the continent's highest violent crime rates, and even though its economy is contracting, personal security is a booming business.

President Hugo Chavez's socialist government says it is cracking down on offenders and will stem the bloodshed by putting better-paid, better-trained officers on the streets.

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-49787920100630