Lebanon’s security guards are a common sight, a standard feature of larger businesses and high-end apartments. Although some may seem to do little more than watch the world go by, the job is certainly no sinecure. It is a line of work that holds very few prospects and many agencies pay measly wages so that guards often struggle to make ends meet despite working a standard eight or even an extended 12-hour shift. For the employers, the guarding business is also no fast track to amassing riches. Patrick al-Khoury, who leveraged his experience in the Special Forces of the Lebanese Army to set up Patrick Security Services Agency (PSSA) in 1996, gives the impression of being proud of what he does but says he is “not rich, not poor”. With a payroll of about 600 male and a few female agents — he estimates the number of female guards at
