The short reign  of deposed police chief

Gabriel Medina was only director of the National Police for three months and 23 days. The video in which Panamanian police officers show solidarity with their Colombian colleagues cost him his job.

Medina took office on January 28 of this year to replace Jorge Miranda, who retired.

On the night of Friday, May 21, the country learned of Medina’s removal through a statement from the Ministry of Public Security, which did not detail the reasons for the decision. However, the security agencies assure that the motive was the video, a fact that caused him recrimination from the Security Minister, Juan Pino reports La Prensa.

The video in which Panamanian police officers show solidarity with their colleagues in Colombia, a country where the uniformed officers are accused of police excess as a result of the wave of protests.

Citizens expressed outrage at the video on Thursday, May 20, a day after it began to circulate. Article 311 of the Constitution came to light, which, among other things, states that the police will not be able to make political statements or statements individually or collectively. Some even called for the removal of the Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, and Gabriel Medina, then director of the National Police (PN).                          

Sources from the security agencies reported that there were extensive meetings on Thursday, as Pino’s order not to publish the video would have been disobeyed.

The news of the dismissal of Medina was released last Friday at 9:09 pm through the Twitter account of the Ministry of Security. The press release does not state the reasons for the dismissal, but the institution assured that the reason was the controversial video.

The National Police also told La Prensa that Medina was being questioned internally, because he had not fulfilled what was entrusted to him when he was handed over to command of the institution on January 28: regulate and reform the Police, reduce its bureaucracy, depoliticize it and improve citizen care services.

Homicides increase
One of the weak points of Medina’s management was the increase in homicide cases in the months of 2021. Figures from the Public Ministry show that only in the first quarter of 2021, 134 murders were committed. The two sectors with the most cases were Panama and Colón, with 39 and 28 cases, respectively. However, in April, 50 homicides were committed in Colón, forcing the police authorities to initiate operations in the streets of that province.

Panama Oeste also made noise. Last April, 43 murders were reported in the area. It is estimated that 60% is related to drug trafficking activities or the war between gangs with the desire to seize the territories for the sale and distribution of narcotics.

The theft and robbery data also resonates despite the security controls resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Figures from the Public Ministry indicate that 2,676 thefts and 1,109 robberies have been reported so far in 2021.

Police have also been in the eye of the storm for acts of abuse of authority when making arrests. Recently, an agent was charged with planting a firearm in a woman’s vehicle, a fact that is still under investigation.