IN this era of rapid international development, no city or country can afford to ignore the threat of organised crime. The Gulf is fortunate that the problem is not on the scale of some other regions and serious efforts are being made to plan to safeguard against future threats, says Waleed Al-Mansour, executive manager of the Saudi Arabia-based Security & Safety Corporation.

"Crime is spreading in the region, but on a smaller scale. No society can afford to ignore the problem just because they seem geographically remote. Criminals can, and will act, when they see an opportunity," he says.

Speaking on how to thwart the designs of burglars, Al Mansour says a great deal can be done to ensure that vulnerable locations are kept safe and secure.

"Priority should be given to protecting commodities that attract burglars the most, such as money, jewellery, gold and other valuable things as well as electronic items. What criminals look for are these kinds of easily transportable commodities of high value which are also easy to launder," he says. "The important thing is to take this issue seriously."

The security market is rapidly developing in the Gulf. People are installing advance technology security systems such as CCTVs in commercial and residential buildings as a deterrent and for tracking or identifying the criminals.

"Access control systems are also being used as an excellent line of defence. Equipment such as motion detectors for detecting the movement of intruders, beam detectors, door and window contacts together make it difficult for thieves to hit any premises.

"With these low-cost and highly-effective systems home and business owners can feel safe," he says.

Security & Safety Corporation, set up in 1991, supplies residential and commercial security alarm systems, fire alarm systems, fire fighting systems and CCTVs. It also undertakes installation and maintenance.

Security & Safety Corporation is the agent for Gardiner Technology of the UK; A2Z for smoke and heat detectors; and Video Man (CCTV) systems. It also distributes products from other manufacturers and has recently introduced perimeter protection systems.

The company has a strong market presence in the Eastern Province (Dammam, Al Khobar and Jubail), Riyadh and Qassim. It also has plans to open branches in other parts of the Kingdom, he says.