Aftermath of terror: Sale of metal detectors skyrockets

Story and Photos by Emran Hossain

Demand for security equipment has skyrocketed in the wake of unprecedented terrorist attacks in the country.

A security equipment shop at national stadium market

The rush to buy is so high that some importers and retailers have run out of their stocks of metal detectors, archways, close circuit cameras and other equipment.
The business of security equipment started in the country when in August, 2005 the now-banned militant outfit JMB carried out explosions in all but one of the 64 districts simultaneously.
“The Holey Artisan attack on July 1 has caused this phenomenal rise in the demand,” said K M Syful Islam, CEO of KB International, a security equipment importer and wholesaler.
Sitting at his Purana Platan office recently, Syful revealed that the last piece of 30 metal detector archways had just been sold.
“We sold out all our stocks of archways within 10 days after the Eid holiday,” he said.
During the same period, his company’s entire stock of 1500 hand-held metal detectors was also sold out.
KB International is one of about two dozen firms importing security equipment in the country.  The items include video surveillance products, hand-held metal detectors, walkthroughs and scanners — mainly from China, UK, Taiwan, and Korea.
An estimated 500 outlets and retailers rely on the companies’ import.
Almost next door to KB international is a retail shop, SEICO International, owned by S M Saifullah Shamim.
According to him, an entirely new crowd of clientele has driven up the demand. They include educational institutions, real estate offices, corporate offices, house owners, banks and commercial facilities like shopping malls and restaurants.
Earlier, only compliant garment factories, embassies and multinational companies tended to use security equipment on their premises.
Shamim and his cousin Shahinure Rahman have been involved in the business since 2003. Shahinure owns Emission Corporation, a shop at city’s Kalabagan.
Shahinure had gone to Purana Paltan recently, a hub for the security equipment, for placing order on metal detectors and walkthroughs.

A clothshop in Mohammadpur says in a notice that movement is under video surveillance inside the shop

“Half a dozen importers I have visited today are out of stocks of some particular security items,” said Shahinure.
The brothers are witnesses to the massive expansion of the business too.
After the JMB attack in 2005, the entire business of security devices was estimated to be between Tk 50 and Tk 60 crore.
By 2010 the business rose from Tk 200 crore to Tk 300 crore. Currently, the trade is estimated at Tk 15000 crore and more.
“With threats of terrorist attacks the business will continue to expand faster than before,” said Syful.
Security expert Maj Gen (retd) Abdur Rashid sees it coming too, against the backdrop of emerging security threat on life.
“Our country is developing steadily, and we want to feel safe, stay safe by spending money on security,” explained Rashid.
Rashid called terrorists a dangerous enemy camouflaged among us in our society. There are highly professional terrorist recruiters brainwashing moderate people into terrorist activities.
“They are invisible. They have learned to be invisible. That’s why we need to apply technique (surveillance) to flush them out,” continued Rashid.
“It seems people did not have much difficulty in choosing from the limited options they were given in dealing with their freedom of movement or privacy. They have decided to live,” said Rashid.
Rashid questioned the quality of these equipment, flooding the booming market. He added that there is also a lack of trained manpower to operate this complex range of equipment.
Many people involved in the business are also concerned about the quality question.
Camera Museum, an importer having a chain of 12 wholesale outlets in Dhaka, Khulna and Chittagong. Its salesmen said that the market is flooded with cheap imported equipment.
“We don’t have ‘eyewash’ security equipment. What we have in our shop is meant for serious business,” said Ayub Ali, a salesman at Camera Museum.
For instance, the lowest prize for a UK-made hand-held metal detector at the outlet is Tk 8000. On the other hand, a reportsbd.com probe shows, a China made hand-held metal detector costs below Tk 1000.

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Posted by Reportsbd on Jul 30 2016. Filed under Home Slide, National. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry