NHN Lobbying Sees Positive Changes on Beach Crime

The Neighbors Helping Neighbors meeting held on September 22 in the bohio of Napa Village in Playa Blanca made 4 things very clear: - NHN is having a positive impact in the fight against crime at the beaches. - If you are in an emergency situation, call NHN's Hotline. 6599-3122 - The Panamanian authorities are willing to do what it takes to make the beaches safe. By no means is the problem solved. As in all systemic change, the process is long and vigilance is required. Even so, there are some encouraging changes taking place, as the result of NHN's lobbying:

- A district prosecutor, whose role has hampered arrests, is being publicly challenged.
- 10 English speaking policemen were added to the San Carlos district.
- In total, 20 new officers have been added to the beaches area detachments.
- A special prosecutor, heading a special forces team has been appointed to take the lead on all outstanding home invasion cases. The special team will take full advantage of the criminal justice system to catch, prosecute and convict criminals.

That is the message that was brought to 120 concerned expat residents, who braved the mid day heat to come out to the NHN Meeting. This meeting was called on the heels of 2 recent violent home invasions that took place at the beaches. One in Playa Blanca and the other in Las Margaritas. NHN was called in to investigate on both the attacks. Using their own private detective, lawyer and connections with authorities, arrests have been made in the Playa Blanca case. Warrants were fast tracked for the Las Margaritas case.


Some Advice from Police:

- Lock your windows and doors. Put bars on your windows. It is surprising how many victims of crime have left unbarred windows open and doors unlocked. 

- Get video security, and outdoor lights. Video deters criminals from targeting your property. Outdoor lights eliminates dark places where thieves can hide.

- Check out your employees. Take your employee cedular to the police station and they will do a check on it. 

- Get dogs. Keep your dogs in the house to protect them from being poisoned. Dogs are  a great alarm system.


To learn more about NHN, and their efforts, visit www.nhnpanama.com