Safety in Venezuela, indispensable questions to ask.
The most important questions to ask when traveling to Venezuela for business, before leaving, upon arrival and in constant form during the stay are: What is the reality in the area where I am? How can I travel safely from point A to point B and in consideration of the real risks?
Whether it is Venezuela City, Oaxaca or Ciudad Juarez, to get concrete answers it is important to determine what the current risks are. To mitigate and manage risks, it is crucial to understand the local reality using questions related to where, who, why and when. For example, studying the routes between the airport, the hotel and the workplaces allows to evaluate the incidence of risk and the probability of collisions and other factors that can increase the danger. Analyzing the hotel and the surrounding area including restaurants, provides the possibility to choose alternatives for overnight stays and evening outings. Security experts are able to provide further information regarding organized crime, robberies and assaults that occurred in the last 30 days at your final destination,
What happens if…?
Preparation for higher risks includes the possibility of such risks materializing despite the measures taken. Secure Transportation Venezuela This is the moment when alertness and constant monitoring of the situation help answer the fateful question: What if? For example, “what happens if the person on duty at the hotel reception who sees me go out every morning is linked to a criminal organization?”; “What if my driver suddenly deviates from the route saying he has to pick up a friend?”; “What if a vehicle suddenly comes up behind me and two men run to meet me?”. The simple act of asking these questions helps prepare for various eventualities and plan a reaction that allows you to react and survive the threat.
Planning and preparation, using available information and consulting security professionals is a wise way to travel safely to Venezuela. secure transportation turkey The alternative, without asking questions and to manage risks, is an analysis of the local reality, the planning of safety transport and a detailed planning of the trip.
For safety transport and risk management in Venezuela, contact us and visit our website www.ets-riskmanagement.com to find out more about the services we offer.
Knowledge and understanding of the risks in Venezuela is crucial to overcome them
Recognizing the risks and planning accordingly is the first step for business travelers to Venezuela. It is important to remember that security professionals, Special Forces and Elite Units worldwide do not owe their successes to cinematic qualities like those of the well-known Ninja warriors. These professionals complete their missions in areas at risk, thanks to careful preparation and planning together with constant monitoring of the surrounding situation. Learning what the real threats are, assessing vulnerabilities in relation to these threats, planning to avoid or manage risks with the help of professionals, is comparable to the difference between closing an important contract and watching a competitor get it for you. A simple but important example is the risk of kidnapping. In some areas in Venezuela kidnapping is a very high risk and most kidnappings take place on board or in the vicinity of one’s vehicle. To mitigate the risk, the first step is to hire a vehicle and a trusted driver who knows the area, a low-profile vehicle and vary the routes every day regardless of the destination, to avoid being easy targets if there is surveillance. hostile in place.
In Venezuela City, very often, an unarmored vehicle with a security driver and a detailed travel security plan are commensurate with the risk. In the northern border areas, for example, it is advisable to study the routes in a low-profile vehicle but with professionals able to establish the most appropriate strategy to go unnoticed. Sometimes a convoy of armored vehicles is appropriate as a deterrent and to determine what is appropriate in your area of interest, it is advisable to consult with experts on the subject.
National risk assessments are not needed
The business traveler in Venezuela is poorly served by summary risk assessments, developed at a national or regional level, while Venezuela should be analyzed in depth using local resources. A practical example is the difference between the situation in Cancun and Monterrey, two realities with absolutely contrasting levels of risk. The security sectors of international organizations that use approximate evaluation methods run the risk of compromising business opportunities in safe places, favoring high-risk operations in areas that should be absolutely prohibited. Today, as never before, the lack of knowledge of the territory and of the substantial differences in risk, between adjacent areas and neighborhoods,
In 2019, the US State Department restricted travel to 5 Mexican states due to the violent criminal activities of local organizations (Cartels). While the Department reiterated increased caution for travelers to Venezuela, based on the general increase in homicides, armed robberies of people and vehicles, the alarm level for the states of Tamaulipas, Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero, it was raised to 4, the maximum. An analysis equated these 5 states with war zones such as Syria, Yemen and Somalia. Despite this, many companies and businessmen have interpreted this caution notice as a prohibition at the national level, without evaluating the real opportunities and seeking detailed information.
Article written by Mark Deane, CEO of ETS Risk Management Inc.
Translated by Mirko Ruggeri, Director of Protection Services in Latin America for ETS Risk Management Inc.
