Matchbox sized GPS, which can be put in the pocket of our children or on their keychain, came out on the market - right at a moment when criminality is increasing and parents are worried about their children.

This GPS made record sales for the past two years, because the distributors promise to help in case of kidnapping of a child or an adult.

Two years after the tragedy of the disappeared Alex from Verya, hundreds GPS’s were sold in Northern Greece. “Since the beginning of the year, 60 GPS’s were sold in Komotini to parents who want to protect their children,” says Odiseas Psaltis for “Elefteros Tipos” newspaper.

One of the tens of companies in Athens, which sells these machines have sold 3000 GPS’s. “The biggest part of our clients buy them for their children,” notes Angelos Pagonas, manager of a company in Menidi.

The GPS’s are produced in China and in the US. They work like an emergency cases cell phone – they can send messages, accept and make calls to two numbers and have a special button, which can be pushed in case of danger.

The GPS can also identify the exact place of the person who uses it. Also, it provides information about the hour, date, speed, and direction. The identification is achieved through real time internet connection or through a direct connection with the server of the provider.

“The price of the GPS is between ?300 and ?600. It can be of great help also to adults, who have the Alzheimer disease,” adds Panayotis Sovatzis, communication manager in a firm in Kalithea.

The system was used for the first time in the US on prisoners, who were going out of prison for few days. “The experiment continued on drug addicts, so that their families and therapists can track their behaviors. The next target group were children. The industry is looking for new clients,” says psychologist Sotiris Pastakas and also adds that “it can turn into hysteria and it is possible to become a reason for many family scandals.”

Special “Bladerunner” children’s jackets with sewed in GPS’s came out on the English market two years ago. The prices are ?500 per jacket plus ?20 per month for the service. The intention is for those jackets to be used by skiers, mountain-climbers and snowboarders.