You're listening to a download from the BBC, this is from our own correspondent.

You can hear the version of the program we make for the BBC World Service by visiting our site

at BBC online.

But here's the latest edition broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and introduced by Kate Adi.

Today we're with the guns, gangs and security guards of Central America.

In Damascus, the cafes are empty, friends have gone and the phone rarely

rings. In France we scrub ourselves clean in the Duch Municipal and we hear about an unlikely

meeting with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Colonel Gaddafi.

The Northern Triangle in Central America, that's El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala Guatemala has one of the highest concentrations of private

security guards in the world.

Violent crime is a major problem in these countries with powerful and well-armed gangs

involved in murder, extortion and robbery.

Will Grant has been reporting from the region for some years, and the sight of guns on the street

is nothing new to him.

But even he's surprised at how commonplace they've

become. It doesn't take long to notice the guns in Central America. Off the

plane into San Salvador to Gui Galper, Guatemala City, even the relatively sleepy

Costa Rican capital San Jose, the arrivals halls are dotted with men sporting uniforms and rapid-fire weapons.

Nothing strange in that, perhaps.

Airports around the world are notoriously tight on security, but step out into any of those cities and it soon becomes apparent that firearms aren't just for protecting government buildings.

Into Gussigalpa, the chaotic and violent capital city of Honduras, we stayed in a faceless international hotel during

the recent presidential election. Two men with pump action shotguns were never far from reception

...