AP PHOTOS: Private security guards VIPs in Mexico
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Francisco Castell, right, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, waits with his colleagues under the heliport of a hotel for the arrival of an executive client in Mexico City. Private guards in Latin America are the most heavily armed in the world, with 10 times more weapons per employee than private forces in Western Europe, according to a 2011 survey by the Graduate Institute of Geneva. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The earpiece is usually the giveaway. Or, maybe it’s the dark suits, the big SUVs with tinted windows or the menacing Dodge Avengers in black, always black.
Private guards are part of a tense landscape in Mexico, especially in the capital, where the fear of violence has fueled steady demand for high-end security.
In upscale neighborhoods, they are everywhere — standing watch outside luxury hotels, exclusive shopping centers and expensive gyms. They wait at the gates of prestigious private schools, ready to ferry the children of Mexico’s rich and powerful through traffic. At the city’s bustling airport, they welcome visiting VIPs.
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, private security escorts working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, synchronize their watches while waiting for the arrival of an executive client near the international airport in Mexico City. Private security is growing worldwide for a mix of political and economic reasons, as wealth grows and cities cut policing budgets. But the Latin America growth is fueled by the regions booming violence. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, private security escorts working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, synchronize their watches while waiting for the arrival of an executive client near the international airport in Mexico City. Private security is growing worldwide for a mix of political and economic reasons, as wealth grows and cities cut policing budgets. But the Latin America growth is fueled by the regions booming violence. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Jorge Olivo, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, waits as an executive client arrives at the heliport of a luxury hotel in Mexico City. Private guards are part of a tense landscape in Mexico, especially in the capital, where the fear of violence has fueled steady demand for high-end security. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Jorge Olivo, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, waits as an executive client arrives at the heliport of a luxury hotel in Mexico City. Private guards are part of a tense landscape in Mexico, especially in the capital, where the fear of violence has fueled steady demand for high-end security. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Jorge Olivo, left, and Francisco Castell, third from left, both private security escorts working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, accompany executive clients down the heliport after arriving by helicopter at a luxury hotel in Mexico City. For truly high-profile clients, known as “principals” in the industry jargon, elite security guards are trained to work with subtlety, not by flashing their guns or driving recklessly through city streets. Their main tools are intelligence, preparation, technology and discretion. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Jorge Olivo, left, and Francisco Castell, third from left, both private security escorts working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, accompany executive clients down the heliport after arriving by helicopter at a luxury hotel in Mexico City. For truly high-profile clients, known as “principals” in the industry jargon, elite security guards are trained to work with subtlety, not by flashing their guns or driving recklessly through city streets. Their main tools are intelligence, preparation, technology and discretion. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
For many nouveau riche Mexicans, their armed-to-the-teeth escorts are a status symbol that provides an intimidating, even rude and aggressive shield.
But for truly high-profile clients, known as “principals” in the industry jargon, elite security guards such as members of the Lucena Group are trained to work with subtlety, not by flashing their guns or driving recklessly through city streets. Their main tools are intelligence, preparation, technology and discretion.
The best are assigned to protect touring performers such as Lady Gaga or Madonna, or corporate executives visiting Mexico to close a deal with the likes of billionaire Carlos Slim.
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, private security escort Jorge Olivo, working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, scans the perimeter around his vehicle while driving executive clients through the streets of Mexico City. Private guards are part of everyday life in Latin American cities. With large guns and bullet-proof vests, they guard bakeries, even mattress deliveries, and ride shotgun in trucks carrying anything from Coca-Cola to cold cuts. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, private security escort Jorge Olivo, working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, scans the perimeter around his vehicle while driving executive clients through the streets of Mexico City. Private guards are part of everyday life in Latin American cities. With large guns and bullet-proof vests, they guard bakeries, even mattress deliveries, and ride shotgun in trucks carrying anything from Coca-Cola to cold cuts. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Jorge Olivo, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, adjusts his communications gear while waiting for an executive client in the lobby of a hotel in Mexico City. The guards-for-hire offer protection to the wealthy and middle-classes. Poorer residents get by however they can: forming vigilante groups or paying thugs to leave them alone. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Jorge Olivo, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, adjusts his communications gear while waiting for an executive client in the lobby of a hotel in Mexico City. The guards-for-hire offer protection to the wealthy and middle-classes. Poorer residents get by however they can: forming vigilante groups or paying thugs to leave them alone. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, Jorge Olivo, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, waits next to his vehicle while other members of his team escort a client into a hotel in Mexico City. Growth of the private policing industry has outpaced government regulation, creating a “buyer-beware” market for those hiring security officers. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, Jorge Olivo, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, waits next to his vehicle while other members of his team escort a client into a hotel in Mexico City. Growth of the private policing industry has outpaced government regulation, creating a “buyer-beware” market for those hiring security officers. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Francisco Castell, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, coordinates by phone the arrival of an executive client at a luxury hotel in Mexico City. In Mexico City, the guards are known as “guaruras” but they prefer to call themselves “escoltas ejecutivos” or “executive escorts.” Whatever the name, their growing presence underscores the fact that, despite having one of the largest police forces in the world, Mexico looks to private guards for true protection. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 16, 2014 photo, Francisco Castell, a private security escort working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, coordinates by phone the arrival of an executive client at a luxury hotel in Mexico City. In Mexico City, the guards are known as “guaruras” but they prefer to call themselves “escoltas ejecutivos” or “executive escorts.” Whatever the name, their growing presence underscores the fact that, despite having one of the largest police forces in the world, Mexico looks to private guards for true protection. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, private security escorts working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, drive past a police van transferring inmates while driving executive clients through the streets of Mexico City. While private security is growing worldwide, Latin America is the region where the boom is accompanied by rising rates of homicide, kidnapping and extortion. Plagued by drug cartels and violent gangs, Latin America has surpassed Africa to claim the worlds highest murder rate. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
In this Oct. 15, 2014 photo, private security escorts working with the Lucena Group, a global security solutions company, drive past a police van transferring inmates while driving executive clients through the streets of Mexico City. While private security is growing worldwide, Latin America is the region where the boom is accompanied by rising rates of homicide, kidnapping and extortion. Plagued by drug cartels and violent gangs, Latin America has surpassed Africa to claim the worlds highest murder rate. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
The work in carefully choreographed teams to guide clients arriving on helipads in the heart of the metropolis, protect them on the chaotic streets and to be on high alert during the quick walk between a principal’s armored car and a hotel lobby.
In Mexico City, the guards are known as “guaruras” but they prefer to call themselves “escoltas ejecutivos” or “executive escorts.” Whatever the name, their growing presence underscores the fact that, despite having one of the largest police forces in the world, Mexico looks to private guards for true protection.
