Increase morale and purification, President Mulino's priorities for the Public Force.

A process to raise morale and purge the Security Establishments was announced this morning by the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, who led the change of command ceremony in the National Police (PN), the National Aeronaval Service ( SENAN) and the National Border Service (SENAFRONT).

At the event, which took place at the National Police Officers School in the province of Colón, the Panamanian president presented the command flags to Jaime Fernández as the new director of the National Police, Commissioner Luis Antonio De Gracia, director of the SENAN, and Commissioner Jorge Gobea, who will continue to command SENAFRONT.

The president was accompanied by the Minister of Security, Frank Ábrego and the rest of his cabinet, as well as heads of entities and the previous directors of the security establishments.

During his speech before the troops, Mulino stressed that the priority from now on will be to raise the morale of the Public Force, and purge the police, naval and border forces.
“You all deserve respect from the citizens and the entire country, but that respect is earned with deeds, not with ranks,” President Mulino explained to the officers. “The Law and the Constitution gives them a badge and a gun. That badge and that weapon does not place them above any citizen of the Republic, but neither does it place them below.”

The president also explained that the purge that is coming is intended to prevent “crime, drug trafficking or organized crime from trying to prevail within each of you.”
“We are already talking and coordinating the purchase of all their equipment, from uniforms, boots, shoes, weapons, ammunition, cars,” Mulino said.

Once the transfer of command was concluded, the new directors of SENAN and SENAFRONT presented recognition plaques to President Mulino.
One is police badge 001, which symbolizes the first community service police officer “Protect and Serve.” He also received the emblem plaque of the SENAN operational groups “God, Homeland and Honor”; and finally received the “God and Country” plaque, the motto of SENAFRONT. 
Meanwhile, the Minister of Security, Frank Ábrego, received the police badge 002 from the Director of the Police, Jaime Fernández. Commissioner Luis De Gracia of the SENAN presented the “Guardian of the Homeland” statuette and Commissioner Jorge Govea presented a luxury plaque and a plaque from the pyramid of the trinitarian war.