Panama City Metro readies security plan

In less than 90 days the new Panama Metro system is set to open.  Another great achievement here in Panama that will help alleviate congestion that has plagued the city.  In keeping with the operation, security is being readied as well.

By the end of October, work on Line 1 of the Panama Metro was 92% complete, while details were being fine-tuned for the start of operations, according to Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli.

The project, which will benefit a million people daily and has required an investment of US$1.8 billion, includes a comprehensive security plan to prevent crime inside the Metro system.

“Our goal is for Panamanians to feel totally safe when using the Metro and, to that end, we have spared no effort,” said Minister for Canal Affairs and Executive Secretary of the Panama Metro Roberto Roy. “We want to provide maximum security for all.”

Since May, the Ministry of Public Security has coordinated training for officials from the National Police, the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) and the Fire Department on how to respond to emergencies such as fires, suicide attempts and terrorist attacks.

In late October, about 50 agents attended a seminar sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Panama that focused on prevention and security on bus and train systems.

The course was given by mass transit security experts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and covered topics such as the vulnerability of public transportation, security during emergency operations and human rights.

Earlier, 400 officers received training in May and June from the Delaware River Port Authority in the city of Camden in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

The officers observed the port’s control room where the trains’ movements are monitored and were taught customer-service techniques and the use of the video surveillance system, according to Panamanian Public Security Minister José Raúl Mulino.

“[We want] to avoid improvisation at all costs,” Mulino said recently.

The details

Of the 12 stations in the 13.7-kilometer system, which takes an average of 23 minutes to traverse, five are elevated and seven are underground. No public bathrooms or kiosks have been installed in stations to prevent robberies, kidnappings, rapes and other types of attacks.

The system will have 20, three-car trains, capable of carrying up to 15,000 passengers an hour in each direction, according to Roy.

The Metro security force will feature about 300 police officers, with two officers assigned to a train car.

“The police officers assigned to this plan have been [trained] with the techniques necessary to protect the system, which in the case of an emergency involves acting quickly to control large masses of people,” said Maj. Irving Castillo of the National Police.

In addition, 70 SINAPROC officials will maintain a constant presence at three Civil Protection outposts – one at the terminal station of Los Andes; one at the Vía Argentina station; and a third at the Albrook station, Panama City’s main public transportation terminal, which serves 800,000 people daily. Officials estimate the system will accommodate a million users a day once it’s fully operational.

Linette Rodríguez, a 38-year-old phone company salesperson and resident of Panama City’s neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, said the Metro will bring greater progress to the city.

“It will be a benefit for all – a modern means of transportation that will allow us to arrive on time to our jobs and homes without much trouble,” she said.

Diego Durán, a 29-year-old medical assistant and resident of Panama City’s neighborhood of Río Abajo, said the Metro’s arrival is “the miracle we need to escape the bottlenecks that make us waste so much time.”