New York Police Training In Panama

[Hil]

http://static1.telemetro.com/nacionales/Policia-Nueva-York-panamenos-prevencion_0_1180382955.html

Edited October 11, 2018 by Hil

[Keith Woolford]

1 hour ago, Hil said:

http://static1.telemetro.com/nacionales/Policia-Nueva-York-panamenos-prevencion_0_1180382955.html

Text from today's Telemetro article concerning the NYPD visit.

New York Police train Panamanian officers in crime prevention

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is training National Police (PN) officers in the provinces of Bocas Del Toro and Chiriquí in crime prevention, the US embassy in the Central American country reported today.

A group of 40 PN officers in the province of Bocas del Toro participated in two days of training given by two NYPD officers.

New York Police officers shared with their Panamanian counterparts best practices in crime prevention, efficient ways to warn tourists about existing risks, video surveillance practices and how to enhance their role as protectors and servants of their community.

The trainings will also be held in Boquete, province of Chiriquí, tomorrow Thursday and Friday. In the training in Bocas del Toro were present the Commissioner Alexis Muñoz and Major Roberto Rodríguez, on behalf of the PN, and the Mayor of this province, bordering on Costa Rica, Martin Downer.

Francisco Pérez, Public Affairs Adviser of the Embassy of the United States in Panama, said that in a meeting with the Mayor there was talk of the support that can be given in terms of safety training so that tourist sites are much safer.

"Bocas del Toro is a true paradise, but as in all parts of the world, we must take precautions," said the US diplomat.

In February 2017, the American tourist Catherine M. Johannet, aged 34, was murdered on an island in Bocas del Toro, for which the person responsible for the crime was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison.

On September 7, the Prosecutor's Office reported that a Panamanian court increased the sentence from 12 to 24 years to the person responsible for the rape and death of Johannet, whose body was found in February 2017 in Bocas del Toro.

"After an appeal, (the) Public Prosecutor's Office in Bocas del Toro succeeded in (that) amending the sentence of 12 to 24 years in prison to the teenager responsible for the crime of the North American Catherine Medalia Johannet," said the institution on it's Twitter account at that time. .

The convicted man, whose identity is unknown, is a young Panamanian man who at the time of the crime was 17 years old and who was arrested in October of last year.

At the end of the training, PN officials emphasized the role that the inhabitants of Bocas del Toro must play to promote security in their community and reiterated their commitment to to the citizenry.

The United States underscored its commitment to continue supporting Panama in strengthening the capacities of its security forces and continuing to work towards an effective cooperation strategy in the field of security, the US diplomatic mission said in a statement.