Newspapers, news channels and other news media are reporting that crime, especially theft has been increasing since the econimic downturn.

We hear in London for example, every other week a bold and daring raid on jewellery shops in broad daylight in fashionable areas of the city. One particular street that has been hit is Bond Street, where the premier designer labels have their flaghsip London stores.

Fraud and petty theft in the workplace is up in the UK and I am sure this is being replicated throughout the globe.

No one is immune to this current malaise of stealing property from retailers, employers and those who own such worldly goods as camcorders, iPods, expensive cars etc.

The economic downturn has created a forced repatriation of migrant workers from cities in the sand such as Dubai, Kuwait City and others in Southeast Asia who rely on workers from less developed countries. These workers go back to their countries without any hope of work in their native lands or a swift return to the so-called gold paved streets of developed nations. Eventually some of these people may resort to crime to feed themselves and their families.

The reality of the crime of theft hit home to me last night.

My parents having retired spend their time mostly in the north-eastern hills of Sylhet in Bangladesh. My father purchased a place in 1979 and built his dream home. In the last 30 years he has never had any problems of thieves breaking into his place even when the place was locked up and empty whilst they were in the UK.

However, last night they became a statistic and were robbed of some minor possessions, the usual camcorder, mobile phone some cash etc. Fortunately they weren't harmed or harassed.

But these are signs of the times and thieves are venturing into wealthy expat suburbs and villages where the pickings are rich.

Another, example of the times was a recent voluntary return home by a South Asian family from New York. The husband and father of the household was the main breadwinner, he lost his job late last year, subsequently his house was repossessed and he went bankrupt. With no immediate job prospects he returned back to his native country with his wife and two kids and will live out two years there until the job market is stronger in the US.

Some immigrants have a choice which is quite refreshing that allows them to sit out the recession in a country where they have land and an income which will pay for a lifestyle that costs very little in comparison to the West, whilst others have nothing to come back to and may resort to crime.

I think this recession is affecting every person on this planet in one way or another and here we are witnessing one aspect of the dark underbelly of globalisation.

But hey I am an eternal optimist and I think in countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan etc where law enforcement and crime resolution is a joke, there is a great need for private security firms to step in and provide a service that is much needed.

Till the next time

Shah Alam