With no end in sight to the ongoing spate of political violence, the demand for security products – such as CCTV, metal detecting archways and surveillance devices – are on the rise.
Traders of security products said their sales numbers had been steadily growing over the last one and a half years, but the recent string of escalated violence had significantly boosted the demand for security products.
“Comparing between the middle of 2013 and today, [monthly] sales have increased more than 200%; sometimes even higher than that,” said Md Mahabubur Rahaman, senior executive of Credible Technology, a leading security products seller.
He told the Dhaka Tribune that anybody who could afford it – was now seeking extra security because of the political circumstances. The top selling security products included CCTV cameras and a complete security solution package, the senior executive said.
Credible Technology was now selling Tk4 crore to Tk5 crore worth of security products every month, Mahabubur said, a figure which was only around Tk2 crore in August-September 2013.
The total market size for security products was now around Tk500 crore every year, he added.
“We have no official numbers but it is our assumption that the market is growing at a faster rate than the technology is actually evolving,” Mahabubur said, adding that it was beneficial for traders as the government has no restriction in place against selling surveillance products.
Market sources said industrialists were some of the biggest buyers of security products as they were more anxious about the safety of their organisations during the political unrest. Other top buyers also include shopping malls and restaurant owners, they added.
Not only in the capital or the major cities, the demand for surveillance and security was increasing in small towns as wells, traders said.
Apart from the companies dedicated to exclusively selling security products, traders of computer products also enhance their earnings by selling surveillance gadgets.
“Recently we are selling more security products than laptops and computer accessories,” said an entrepreneur at the BCS Computer City in the capital.
Most of the surveillance and security products are imported from China, while some are brought from Singapore.
Jamal Uddin, a building developer who is currently a working on a residential project in Dhanmondi, said they now have to ensure top-notch security services in the buildings as it was part of what the prospective buyers demanded.
“This political unrest, non-stop blockade and arson are also pushing them for obtaining more security,” he added.