In the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires and its sprawling outskirts, a surge in muggings and property theft in recent years has resulted in an increased demand for private security officers and security systems.<br/> <br />Scenes caught on tape show people being robbed at gunpoint and robbers fleeing a police check stop on a motorcycle.<br/> <br />While some point to an increased level of poverty in the bustling South American capital as a possible explanation behind the crime wave, others think drug abuse, not poverty alone, is to blame.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MIRIAM EDITH QUINTANA, SAYING:<br/> <br />"I don't know if it's related to poverty, I have also gone through tough times and I never thought about robbery. So I think it's not about poverty but more because of drugs. Drug use has increased a lot in the past 20 years and there are kids that with drugs and alcohol don't think and who are capable of doing anything because of the drugs."<br/> <br />But many believe the complexity of the problem s
