|
Panama Incidence of Crime
The number of persons arrested for felonies and misdemeanors
rose from 18,491 in 1980 to 20,073 in 1983 or from 9.5 per 1,000
inhabitants in 1980 to 9.6 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1983. When
figures were broken down according to province, the greatest number
of arrests in 1983 were found in the most populous province,
Panamá, which accounted for approximately 50 percent of the total.
Chiriquí and Colón ranked second and third in number of arrests,
and in each case the principal cities (David and Colón) accounted
for very high percentages of the totals. The statistics gave no
details concerning the crimes for which the listed arrests were
made.
Crimes by juveniles (persons under eighteen) increased during
the early 1980s. The number of cases handled by the Guardianship
Court for Minors rose from 2,923 in 1980 to 3,136 in 1983. Although
juvenile offenses ran the gamut from homicide (17 in 1983) to
traffic infractions serious enough to be taken to court (275 in
1983), the largest increases were in the categories of property
damage, attacks against persons, and fights.
Data as of December 1987
|
