The population does not feel safe, reality which was revealed by the last survey of Dichter & Neira.
Approximately 56% of those polled said that public safety will remain the same, whereas 21% indicated that it will worsen, compared with 20% who said that it will improve.
The pessimistic perception on the efficiency of the Government to address this matter is higher than that of last month, when 75% said that the situation of safety will stay the same or will worsen.
The survey was applied to 1,200 people, from 14 to 17 July, in urban and rural areas, with the exception of Darien and the aboriginal regions.
Professor of the University of Panama Miguel Antonio Bernal said that the population does not need a poll to realize that public insecurity is growing as does the shade when the sun goes down, as a result of the pusillanimity of the President of the Republic and the rest of the Executive branch.
"It (the Government) has failed to address the citizen safety properly and dramatically, above all based on respect for human rights", said Mr. Bernal.
He further explained that the Government is wrong in believing that safety is based on increasing the number of police officers, the increase of years of imprisonment, among other aspects, thus neglecting the actual social origin of the problem.
Mr. Bernal stated that this scenario is steadily getting worse and worse, since, in his view, they are only focused on their personal safety and not on that of the Panamanian people.
The also lawyer came to the conclusion that the only thing President Varela is doing is creating a police state, because he has appointed military personnel at the head of the main Police positions.
