Daytime robberies in Panama seem to be occurring more frequently around me these days. Good thing I didn’t think I was ‘running away’ from crime in Jamaica when I came to Panama. The perceived increase (since I have no proof) has seeped into my consciousness because compared to Jamaica, Panama is crime free.
About 40 minutes ago while I was busy dropping you that note on Noriega, someone broke into the neighbour’s house in the supposedly very safe prime residential Fort Clayton area. It is now 4:20pm in the afternoon and what an interruption to my vacation bliss! Panama city is definitely not more secure than Colon City, no matter what anybody want to tell me! [ Did I tell you I'm on vacation?]
Today’s robbery reminded me of another just two months ago. The clerk in our church office in a “not-so-bad” section of Colon City was held up at gun point and robbed of her money as well as church funds. This also took place very early in the afternoon.
Thankfully, someone working in a nearby yard saw the car the thief arrived in. He described the robber as a well dressed man, who looked like he was some sort of ‘engineer’ with all the right gears clipped to his belt, and papers in his hand walking toward the neighbour’s yard.
Would you believe my window was open all this time, and I was so intent on the computer screen that I missed it all.
Crime is also escalating beyond mere robberies. I now hear of weekly shootings and murders in Colon City. [Sorry I do not have the statistics on this] Although it is nothing compared to Jamaica, I do not want to dismiss the murder rates as inconsequential. Every life is valuable. Like Jamaica most of the deaths are drugs and gang related and that does not look like its going to change anytime soon.
To peace,
Marvia
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