crime

Children disturbing the peace in Panama Viejo

Statistics show that the number of crimes in Panama Viejo has increased to an average of three per day.

Police have been cracking down on the criminal activity of minors by enforcing a 9 p.m. curfew in Panama City.

la prensa

on duty:Panama Viejo residents are asking police to crack down on juvenile offenders in their neighborhood. 992249

A gang of children, some as young as seven, have been threatening residents and pedestrians in Panama Viejo, the oldest neighborhood in the capital.

Residents are complaining that police have not done enough to control them.

"I can not take it anymore," said Samanta Barnes, who lives in the area. "For almost a month, a group of eight children have been devoting themselves to demanding money from people and throwing rocks at them if they don't pay."

She said they usually ambush victims at the Puente del Rey, a bridge that dates back to the Spanish colonization.

Barnes is not alone in voicing her concerns.

"A few days ago, a young man who was coming back from work was assaulted and hit in the head by many rocks," said Virgilio Urrutia, 72, who has been living in Calle 2 of Panamá Viejo for more than half a century.

While Urrutia said he isn’t aware of any other recent incidents, a friend assured a La Prensa reporter that there have been several other incidents in the past two days.

"I asked authorities to stop this violence," said Marta Concepción, who sells perfume in the area.

She said that the parents of the children and others encourage the criminal activity, and share in the proceeds.

"It's not only the children, but the gangs," Concepción said, referring to the bands of criminals that routinely commit crimes in the area.

La Prensa reporters sought a comment on the situation from the Policía Nacional (PN), but none was forthcoming. A police lieutenant did confirm that the number of crimes committed in the area has increased to about three per day, and that the majority of offenders are thought to be minors.

According to that officer, police have begun making sweeps of the area to catch these offenders, but have met with little success. While some arrests were made, the detainees were released either because of a lack of evidence or because the victims refused to testify.

The police have started active measures to cut down on crimes committed by youths in Panama City by establishing a curfew.

But there is not enough data available to determine if the measure, which is less than a month old, has had any discernable effect on the crime rate.

Policía Nacional statistics show that there were 11 murders in Panamá Viejo during 2007, nine of which were committed with firearms. Residents reported a total of 148 robberies, 50 of which also involved the use of firearms.

One positive that residents of the area pointed out is that the gang has not yet committed any crimes against tourists, which is a crucial segment of the area’s emerging economy. The incidents, however, have not taken place in area’s frequented by visitors.