What the army giveth, the army taketh away

Ok, I have to confess that I didn't see this one coming.

I just recently did a prolonged rant on why I oppose the hiring of 3,000 ex soldiers to form a paramilitary police force in Guatemala.

I'm somewhat surprised that there hasn't been more of an uproar concerning this desperate and dangerous decision by the Berger administration.

Today, however, one very unlikely group did voice their adamant opposition this controversial crime-fighting measure: private security firms!

In an article published today in elPeriódico, Abner Guoz writes:

The decision by the Defense Ministry to recruit 3,000 former soldiers to provide public safety hasn't exactly benefited everyone. Private security companies have come out on the losing end, as many of their top employees have responded to the government's invitation.

Agents and supervisors, attracted by the possibility of earning an average monthly salary of Q3,000 (US $400), have left the companies where they had been working. A private security guard earns an average salary of Q2,000 (US $266) per month.

To make up for the personnel deficit, security firms have had to travel to the far-flung corners of Guatemala, claims Rodolfo Muñoz Piloña, president of the Association of Private Security Firms.

Sadly for Mr. Muñoz Piloña, he doesn’t receive much sympathy from the government:

Interior Minister, Carlos Vielmann, responded that in this, as in many other cases, the deciding factor is the law of supply and demand. "If you want to keep your people, pay them more", he said.

The article concludes that the 3,000 recruits will soon begin their training. According to military spokesperson, Orlando Archilla:

At the moment we're working on the administrative details, such as the tailoring of the uniforms. But we hope to begin the training before the end of the week.

Read the entire article (español)

Tags: Guatemala, Military, Security, Agents, Army