BRIEFS. Public safety

Minister defends proposed security changes

Ministro de Gobierno y Justicia Daniel Delgado Diamante said yesterday in Penonomé that he will deliver a final report on the proposed changes to the country's security departments to the Concejo de Gabinete on Monday.

He said the proposals would also be made available to various social organizations and would be published on the Internet.

According to Diamante, the government will accept public comments about the proposals.

The minister came under some criticism for refusing to allow the proposed changes to be reviewed by a government committee that was created to provide input from a variety of stakeholder groups on major policy decisions.

Yesterday, he rejected claims that the proposed changes was a step toward militarizing the country, and said that next month he will be meeting with religious groups and other civic organizations to discuss the proposed changes.