There is an increased Police presence in Boquete as of today in response to the wave of recent and violent local crime. Checkpoints were set up intermittently today in various locations that were manned by investigators from the DIP and DIJ.
Reinforcements have been sent from David and time off at the Boquete station has been cancelled for the next 30 days.
I received a Tweet early this morning from the Director of the Policia Nacional, Omar Pinzon, that he was 'forming' 300 policeman in Santiago for Chiriqui. Not sure exactly what that means, but it has to be good.
So if you have to wait at, or are stopped in a checkpoint, please be courteous and remember that these are the good guys who are trying to help.
It's also an appreciative gesture to pass out a bottle of water or piece of fruit.
Replies
Great news, thanks Keith,
We have seen more police and checkpoints all over the area. The idea of offering fruit or a cold drink is a nice gesture, I am glad they are here to help us.
Thank you so much.
Keith
Good. I saw your tweet because you copied me. I also saw the reply from the Director of the Panama Police. It was a good thing he replied to your tweet. I see that you are following my advice regarding twitter and its use to contact some officials and government members with so me serious issues in the community.
@omarpinzonpma: @boqueteno711 gracias es nuestra preocupación trabajar en lugares q nos necesitan. Ayer capturamos varios pandilleros
I had a visit from my very favorite police officers tonight at the rink where they informed me that President Varela will be here on Monday to discuss this growing issue, to assure that he is taking this seriously and that he will do what needs to be done. This includes sending people who commit crimes to prison regardless of age. He said, if they choose this path of crime, they will go to jail. This is great news.
I saw the motorcycle cops driving down the street here in Santa Lucia after the incident the other day, not knowing at time why or what had happened. This morning, there was a stop point on the road into downtown at the bottom of the hill. Twice this afternoon (and possibly more that I didn't see), the police cruised down the street where my shop is located downtown. There is definitely an effort to show a presence. I hadn't thought of it until your suggestion, Keith, but chocolate might make a nice gesture, too; I'll certainly give it a go. Chocolate and an accompanying smile work wonders here.
When they killed our dog and attempted to break in our house in San Pablo Viejo the police started patrolling around our house day and night for over a month. Some days there would be two policemen standing across the street from our house just watching. We always took them out water or sodas and some banana nut bread. They were very appreciative of the gesture as we were appreciative of them watching out for us.
A little kindness goes a very long way.
Athenas Athanasiadis, our Diputado, received and re-Tweeted this message, and now some of her followers are doing the same.
POR FAVOR AYUDANOS CON LA OLA DE CRIMEN EN CHIRIQUI (please help us with the crime wave in Chiriqui)
This evening I will assemble a list of addresses and various manners in which important officials and media can be reached, as well as some short effective messages in Español that can copied and pasted.