Mexico: bodyguards

Private security will grow by nearly 50% this year, especially for bodyguards of executives and their families in the Federal District and the adjoining State of Mexico, said the president of the Mexican Association of Private Security and Information, Alberto Rivera.

Growth is expected to be at least as strong in 2014.

Fees, which range from $6,000 to $12,000 monthly, have increased significantly in recent years, along with the quality of service.

Professionals from leading companies currently are trained in legal and human rights, along with first aid, manual combat and the use of firearms.

Security companies also do extensive background checks on prospective security personnel.

There were 106,000 kidnappings reported last year in Mexico, or one per 1,000 inhabitants, according to the National Statistics Institute.

This figure would put Mexico first in the world in kidnappings per person.

Many abductions involve conflicts among gang members, while others include so-called “express kidnappings”, in which the victim is forced to withdraw cash from an automatic teller, and then released.

At the same time, insecurity is high among many senior executives.

On the positive side, homicides will fall this year by close to 20%, according to government sources.