What to Do If Burglars Break In Your House or Apartment

•    Call the police immediately, the number in Panama is 104; provide them with
the exact address and a phone number ; make sure that if by some reason you
are not making the call ,that the person doing it haves the correct
information so that the investigation process may run smoothly.
•    Call medical assistance if needed the number is 228-2187.
•    Do not let anybody in the house or apartment until police arrives. Even
though most of the time the criminals are not there, there is a chance that they might still be in your residence.
•    Keep the phone line available.
•    Remain calm if facing risk or intimidation. Do not try to be a hero,
remember that your safety is the most important thing.
•    Take a look on the appearance of the criminals and pay attention to details that may help the police to identify them, such as license plate or car description, they escape, what they were  wearing , where the were heading when they left etc.
•    Do not touch anything that may help obtain fingerprints from the criminals.
•    If  you weren't home when you were robed you will need to submit an accusation at the D.I.J (Direccion De Investigacion Judicial) they will take all the information you can provide and send an Inspector to your home to start the investigation.
•    If the criminals stole your credit cards remember to call your bank as soon
as possible to have them cancelled.
•    Remember after the authorities conclude the investigation to change your
door locks.
There are some things you can do on your own to avoid been robbed:
•    Do not make any comments with unknown persons if you are not going to be
home, If you live in an apartment do not even trust the watchman because
sometimes they work along with the criminals.
•    Pay attention to marks on your door because some times criminals use
them to communicate between them the situation of the house habitants for
example if there is a dog on the building, if there is an elder person in the house.
•    Do not hide copies of your keys around the house.
•    Give a neighbor you trust a contact number in case of any emergency.
•    Another good prevention method is get your neighbors involved, In Panama
there is a program called Vecinos Vigilantes (vigilant neighbors) the police will provide the orientation on the program and everybody helps in keeping the neighborhood safe.

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