By The FirstA Philadelphia gas station owner is taking security into his own hands, hiring heavily armed private security guards to keep customers safe.
According to manager Neil Patel, the North Philly Karco gas station has become a hotbed of criminal activity including armed robbery, drug dealing, and vandalism. To make matters worse, the police rarely respond when they’re called.
“What we have now going on in the city of Philadelphia is chaos,” explains Andre Boyer, who heads PA Site Agency Security, the firm hired to patrol the North Philly gas station. “The criminals have the keys to the city.
Crime has soared in in the city of Philadelphia, with more murders in 2021 than any year on record. There have been nearly 2,200 gunshot victims this year to date — around 450 of whom were killed.
According to the Philadelphia Police Department, crimes committed against gas station customers in particular have steadily increased over the past five years. Armed robbery increased significantly in 2021, and 2022 has seen a sharp rise in carjackings.
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