FIGHTING INSECURITY

The police force wants your help

Given the recent hike in crimes and the overall insecurity this holiday season, the National Police force is unveiling its latest recruits: you

FATIMA ASVAT
fasvatstar@laestrella.com.pa

PANAMA. Police forces are responding to the call for better security by askingPanamanians to come together and form neighbourhood watchdog teams. Their recruiting activities include distributing pamphlets in packed supermarkets and malls.

Neighborhood watchdogs is a program of mutual help among neighbors and with the collaboration of the National Police to plan surveillance runs in hopes of decreasing delinquent activities. According to the pamphlets, the program helps better relations between neighbors, and brings about a better interaction between community members and the policeme joining together in the fight against crime.

The program works through a series of loud ringers, similar to door bells which neighbors are asked to activate if they see a suspicious person or car loitering around, along with calling the police.

Neighbors who listen to the ring are then supposed to activate their own and call the police as well, creating a chain reaction of 20 houses, with 20 ringers activated that should dissuade the delinquent(s) from committing acrime.

Police forces also provide a whistle to be used in case of energy outages. Both can be used not only to alert others to possible delinquent activities, but also fires, domestic violence, etc.

Neighborhoods are encouraged to organize themselves in groups of five or more households to hold periodic meetings to discuss security issues and new mechanisms to protect themselves. Among the means of prevention the program offers are getting to know your neighbors and letting them know when you are going to away.

Additionally, policemen place a “Vecinos Vigilantes” sign on the streets to warn delinquents that a neighborhood watch program is operating.

Meanwhile crime stories keep piling up, despite reinforcement measures taken by the police force. An official source told La Estrella that last week an executive of a telephone company was the latest victim of the express kidnappings. Three men and a woman got into the executive’s car near Instituto Panamericano, taking him to an ATM to withdraw money, and then forcing him to take them to his house in Betania, from where they stole valuables The man was then taken to the far end of Corredor Sur, where the goods were loaded into another car before the the vistim was released.

On Saturday, the crime rampage continued. A company was robbed of more than $40,000. Additionally, there were three shooting deaths, in Santa Librada, Boca La Caja, and Tocumen respectively.

Tourists are also falling prey to this holiday crime wave, the latest report consisting of four Venezuelan tourists who where mugged by two thieves when they arrived at their hotel near Calidonia.

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