Saudi-American blogger Rasheed Abou-Alsamh lives in the Brasilia district of Lago Sul. He took these photos of security fences in the area.

Twenty years ago no-one had them. Now practically every house in my Lago Sul neighbourhood has electrified wires at the top of fences carrying up to 8,000 volts each to deter thieves from breaking into them.

Brasilia has been suffering from a wave of criminality over the past few years. Part of this growth in crime can be blamed on demographics. The 'Distrito Federal', which encompasses the capital and all of its satellite cities and outlaying areas, has seen a boom in inhabitants. There are now more than two million people living in the Federal District, many of them poor people lured here by the country's highest per capita income and hopes of striking it good by working hard or striking it rich through crime.

Sequestros relampagos, or lightning kidnappings, are sadly all too common in Brasilia. They occur usually when criminals overpower a person in their car, commandeering their vehicle and forcing the owner to come along for the ride. They usually steal whatever of value that they can find on that person, and often take them to an ATM and force them to hand over their money. A few months ago I met a young woman who had been a victim of a lightning kidnapping that very night. They stole the BRL 200 [€75] that she had in her wallet. Days after the crime, police had still not found her car.

Much of the crime in Brazil is fuelled by the huge economic disparities between social classes. On the same day I can see the most expensive Mercedes and BMW cars on the streets of the capital, and then see barefoot children begging on the streets.

But the proliferation of cheap drugs, especially crack cocaine, is also responsible for the growing criminality. Many Brazilians are also upset with a justice system that they believe coddles criminals. The death penalty has been abolished and the most that a murderer can be imprisoned for is life, which usually means 30 years. Not only that, but prison officials regularly let out hardened criminals during the holidays to allow them to spend time with their families. I understand why inhabitants of the Lago Sul hide behind electrified fences and ferocious guard dogs."

Photos taken in Lago Sul by Rasheed.