As the security crisis in Ecuador worsens, the demand for protective equipment has increased. In a chain of personal protection products stores, demand for bulletproof vests grew by around 35% in the last week.
This Monday (15th) marks seven days since the start of the State of Emergency decreed by the government of Daniel Noboa, following the escape from prison of Adolfo Macías, the most dangerous criminal in Ecuador, known as “Fito”.
Since then, the country has experienced several episodes of violence, such as explosive attacks, kidnappings of police officers and riots in prisons, with hundreds of hostages — who ended up being released last weekend.
Scared and fearing for their lives, residents of the country's main cities are increasingly looking for protective equipment. At the branch in Guayaquil, a port city that is one of the epicenters of violence in the country, sales rose by around 40% in the last week.
“We sell to companies and entrepreneurs looking for protection. We often don’t know how insecure it is on the streets and people want to protect themselves individually”, he explains to CNN Janeth Chiamin, responsible for the Quito branch of the Police Tactical Equipment store.
The store manager says that at the time of the shooting death of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, in August last year, in Quito, sales of bulletproof vests also soared.
Chiamin explains that among the customers for protective articles are entrepreneurs in the country's shrimp and rice production sector.
In the store, you can find men's and women's vests that can be worn under clothes, vests for security agents, journalists and even a jacket with anti-ballistic plates on the front and back.
Depending on the caliber it supports, bulletproof vests cost between US$1,000 (R$4,800) and US$2,500 (R$12,100).
There is also demand for non-lethal personal protection weapons, such as a retractable baton that can be carried in a pocket.
Crisis in Ecuador
The wave of violence in Ecuador intensified after the leader of the criminal group Los Choneros escaped from a prison in Guayaquil on January 7. A day later, President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in the country.
On the afternoon of January 9, a group of hooded and armed men invaded the facilities of the TC Televisión channel, in Guayaquil.
The crime was captured on live broadcast, which showed employees being forced to lie on the floor. It was possible to hear gunshots and screams. In an operation to free the employees, the police arrested 13 people and seized weapons and explosives.
Still on Tuesday night, President Daniel Noboa decreed the existence of an “internal armed conflict” in the country and ordered operations to be carried out by security forces to neutralize criminals.
In the text of the decree, the government also describes 22 organized crime groups as “terrorists and belligerent non-state actors”.
In addition, several attacks and explosions were recorded, and hundreds of people were detained.
Source: CNN Brasil
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