President Ricardo Martinelli

President Ricardo Martinelli announced today he would be launching a counteroffensive to combat crime, while recognizing that it has been very difficult for his government to combat this problem. He said insecurity "is an old problem, which is not resolved by building a new school, making a crossing or a road, but rather with a counter-offensive against crime," Martinelli told reporters after attending the inauguration of the new National Council of Journalists. The president said the issue of security will be one of the primary themes on the agenda that will be addressed by the National Assembly in upcoming special sessions, for which no dates have yet been established. He acknowledged that is has been very difficult to face the challenge of increasing security in the country, and noted that one of the causes is the fact that "the laws do not help the public officials and the police." Martinelli, who this week marks the one year anniversary of his election, has toughened the laws that penalize violence, installed new air and naval bases, and created a new Ministry of Security, in order to fight crime and organized crime. (La Prensa)