BRIEFS. public safety

Gang-related police deaths raise concerns

la prensa

on duty: Police Chief Francisco Troya said officers aren’t “immune” to the violence they encounter despite their adequate training.1165333

Responding to the two police officers killed and another eight wounded in firefights with gangs so far this year, Police Chief Francisco Troya commented that officers are “not immune” to violence despite the training they receive.

In a recent case, Corporal Jaime Escudero was gunned down by robbery suspects when returning to his home in Alcalde Díaz in January.

Last year, a total of 31 police officers were injured in similar shootouts, including 3 who died from their wounds, according to year-end police reports.

Many of the incidents involved officers with the Anti-Narcotics Unit, like Sargeant Jarol Palacios, who was shot and wounded a while taking part in a covert mission in San Miguelito.

Though critics of the government’s efforts at beefing up security interpret these cases as evidence that the country’s crime rate is out-of-control, several police officials deny that this is the case.

Manuel Muy, general secretary of the National Police, said that statistics must be analyzed “objectively,” since each incident tells a different story. For example, he noted that seven policemen were killed in traffic accidents, three perished in the SAN-100 helicopter tragedy and five died while performing their patrol operations.

Muy pointed out that the total number of police officers killed in crime-related violence was actually quite low, but that the figure was inflated by accidental deaths.

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