Panama robberies drop in first quarter

ROBBERIES and theft climbed in Panama in 2012 to 30,342, compared with 28,103 cases in 2011, but the rate dropped in the first quarter of this year.

In the first three months of this year there have been 1,490 cases of theft and robbery at the national level, according to data from the National Integrated System of Criminal Statistics.

There have been 763 cases in Panama and 335 in Chiriquí. There were 110 cases in Colón and 107 in Veraguas. In the provinces of Herrera and Los Santos there were 70 and 61 cases, respectively.
Thefts from residences topped the list with 371 cases.
There were 259 cases of armed robbery, with Panama province registering the most.