CAIRO - When Ahmed checked his e-mails after a hard day's work, he was surprised to find that his inbox was full. All the messages sounded very cautious, like one sent by one of his friends which started with the phrase ‘Take care', while another from his sister was entitled ‘Be careful' and a third, from his uncle, urged him to buy a weapon. All the e-mails that Ahmed has been receiving of late revolve around the crimes that have been committed by the convicts, thugs and outlaws who have been looting, robbing and destroying the country. One message was all about someone stopped by some knife-wielding thugs while driving home; they stole his car. Another told of a knifeman disguised as a gas company employee who forced his way into an old woman's flat, robbing and stabbing her. There were many other, similarly depressing e-mails, which all carried a similar warning: “Hey, Egyptian people, you must protect yourselves, for Egypt is no longer safe for its own people.” After the January 25 revolution and the sudden disappearance of the police, Egyptians were left to face their own insecure destiny. Many people were forced to think about how to secure and protect themselves, with ideas ranging from buying a gun (even a replica) to building a fortress. The wealthy gated community of Rehab, east of Cairo, was targeted by masked looters driving Toyota trucks. The community's isolation coupled with the absence of security worried residents, who heard of thugs running loose in New Cairo on Saturday afternoon. They immediately formed watch groups at every entrance to the community. “We were armed with anything we could find. At first, everyone decided to go outside spontaneously in response, but we then decided to get organised and formed a network,” says Ahmed el-Gebali. People rushed to buy steel gates to their front doors, with a starting price of LE1,500. The stronger ones obviously cost a lot more. Walid Mansour, the manager of a company that makes these steel gates, says that there's a huge demand. "Recent incidents have made people very insecure. We're getting a vast number of orders for these gates, which are imported from China, Turkey and Italy," Walid says, stressing that they are inflammable, very thick and heavy, weighing up to 150kg. "The Chinese ones are much cheaper than the Italian and the Turkish, costing between LE1,800 and LE3,800, while Italian and Turkish ones cost twice that. "Many of our customers are traders, businessmen or physicians, who need their companies, offices or surgeries protected. These gates are strong," Mansour explains. Apart from these iron gates, people are also making their windows more secure; sometimes this involves electrifying them. Essam Abdel-Fattah, a blacksmith in el-Mounib, Giza Governorate, says that there is a huge demand for reinforced windows, especially among citizens living on the edge of the city. "The price ranges from LE800 to LE3,000," he says, adding that most people like the Turkish, Russian and Spanish ones, with the Turkish ones being the cheapest. "We make these windows for strength, but we also make them look nice," Gamal el-Dessouqi, another blacksmith, told the Arabic language Al-Mousswar magazine, adding that customers can choose from Islamic, Coptic, Pharaonic and modern designs. "When the police abandoned us, my neighbours and I decided to buy steel gates and window covers,” says Ayman Salah, a resident of Nasr City. “Many people here and in Heliopolis, and in other areas like el-Manial, have had their homes broken into. Tanks are protecting the gated communities, but not everyone is so fortunate. We've also rigged up more lighting in the streets to deter thugs and looters.” Many householders and shop owners have been installing security cameras to monitor their properties. "The prices range from LE130 to LE5,000," says Hassan el-Shafei, the manager of a communication and security systems company, adding that most of their clients are businessmen, banks and villa owners. Safes, electric locks and guns are also selling like hot cakes. "Real guns must be licensed, but I sell fake ones, ranging in price from LE1,800 to LE5,000,” says Mahmoud Saad, whose shop sells weapons, imported from Italy, Spain, Turkey, German and China. "The gun that I sell with the biggest chamber is from Turkey. It can hold up to 20 bullets and it's selling very well.”
