The Local Development Ministry in coordination with local authorities on Tuesday ordered jewelers to install surveillance cameras and alarm systems in their shops after several armed robberies were reported in jewelry stores across Egypt.
Ministry sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that shops that do not comply with the order will be closed.
Wasfy Amin, the head of the gold jewelry sector at the Federation of Egypt Chambers of Commerce, said shops in the Gamaliya district of Cairo will be closed Wednesday until he holds a meeting with Cairo Security head Mohsen Mourad to examine ways to secure the area.
Stores in the Haret al-Yahoud and Sagha areas were robbed on Tuesday, he said.
Amin said jewelers have resorted to storing their gold products in secure safes and closing their shops until the Interior Ministry finds a way to prevent repeated thefts.
Egypt has some 30,000 jewelers across the nation, of which 12,000 are in Cairo.
Amin urged the interior minister to facilitate permits for jewelers to carry firearms to help them protect their goods and lives.
Amir Rizq, member of the Jewelers Trade Association, said some gold dealers have put their products in bank safes.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
