Who is in charge of public safety? Instead, what is noticeable are the homicides; the growth of gangs, their criminal activity, hitmen and their barefaced violence; loss of control over port facilities; penetration of drug trafficking into politics and the Government, as well as its growing influence in the National Assembly, not forgetting the absence of policies for prevention among young people. If the Minister of Public Security and the Director of the National Police were more diligent in what they do or attended to their job, instead of being absent to go where they are invited or partying or appearing in parades, perhaps—I insist, perhaps—we would have better statistics—because the other thing that worries me—and it would be very serious—is that they lack what Salamanca does not provide. That response only tells us that crime is growing and there will be more dead because each of those gangs is looking for its space, even if it has to be taken by shooting or killing third parties for invading their territory. And the worst that can happen to us is that these organizations manage to set up legitimate businesses with dirty money, which they do not hesitate to use to launder money, as is already happening with some gangs on the east side of the capital where they launder assets through supposed cattle sales. Then I ask the authorities, what are they doing? because if they are doing something, it is not noticeable. If those 415 homicides (70% of the national total) originate between gangs and drug traffickers, it means that criminal activity is growing, and with it, organized crime is becoming more sophisticated and invasive, infecting banks, governments, the judiciary and even society in general, which learns to look at it not as something unusual, but as part of the landscape. So, how good is the excuse that it does not matter much if they kill each other? On the other hand, one has to think about the collateral damage, in which, frequently, innocent people end up injured or dead, since hitmen do not care as long as they fulfill their mission. And that is how they say it publicly and privately. That is 2% more than in 2024 and represents an index of almost 13 murders per every 100,000 inhabitants. Those are pawns of emerging forces that seek impunity—like that of politicians—and, since they have money to spare, they invest it in other types of pawns: in electoral campaigns for deputies—with which they control the law—or in the friends of power, with whom they obtain impunity. And, by analyzing the numbers, we realize that although the number of homicides seems to be under control, the truth is that now we see homicides where it was unthinkable before; many hitmen are sadists, at the same time becoming more sophisticated and creative and even paying for legal advice to organize their money laundering activities and other businesses. Historically, the metropolitan area (Panama and Colón) concentrated 60% of those deaths, with the difference that, in the province of Panama, the increase in homicides grew 20% in 2025, according to figures cited from the Public Ministry. The authorities maintain that more than 70% of those homicides are related to organized crime, gangs and drug trafficking. What are the achievements? The murders are committed among gang members and this—they let it be seen—is not so bad if they kill each other. In 2025—when the current government was fully in place—there was a record of 593 homicides. The best way to answer these questions is with statistics. Is there someone designated to do this task? But they forget an important part of that stupid excuse. Are there any?
