Panama: ICITAP Builds Capacity to Counter Gang Activity in Central America

On November 23, ICITAP concluded the Basic Investigator's Course for the Panamanian National Police’s Anti-Gang Unit with 30 investigators in attendance.  The course presented the basic principles of investigations to include case preparation and case management, interview techniques, methodology of the process including what an investigator should know about crime scene and testifying before a tribunal. These last two portions were in cooperation with the Panamanian National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMELCF) and the Panamanian Prosecutor’s Office of the Public Ministry. The course also included sections on crime scene safety, arrest techniques, surveillance and ethics among others. The course was presented over a time period of three weeks and included academic as well as technical application exercises.