Police Set to Clean Up Criminal Element in Panama's Pacific Beaches

Residents and police gathered in front of the small police station house in Coronado this afternoon. The meeting was called by Owen Rayfield, who rallied residents concerned about the violent crime wave which has been terrorizing residents in Panama's Playa Communities. The news from the Police was encouraging. 3 of the 5 criminals responsible for the break-in at the Burkart residence have been captured. They have confessed and there is enough evidence linking them to the crime. The suspects have also given Police the names of the other 2 men responsible, who are running from the Police. The Police Superintendent responsible for the area from Chorrera to San Carlos Señor C. Rumbo assured people that the missing 2 suspects will be caught and brought to justice.

The Superintendent also issued a promise to clean up drug dealers and robbers in his jurisdiction. He promised to put additional police vehicles on the street to patrol as of today. He also talked about a contact system where residents can call police directly in case of an emergency, and a video surveillance system that could be hooked up to police monitoring. Stay tuned for more information to come on the monitoring and call systems.

Superintendent C. Rumbo expressed that patrolling the Coronado area is a problem for them, since it is a private community, they need permission to enter.

Further talks will cover how the response systems can work, what costs, if any, will be involved and how residents can register to be part of it. Residents also asked for photos of the apprehended criminals.