ASOCIACION DE PROPIETARIOS DEL RESIDENCIAL DE MONTAÑA LOS ALTOS DE CERRO AZUL (APREMACA)

Buen dia todos:

INFORMO: El otro día fui a Cerro Azul, me he percatado de dos situaciones que me preocupan, por motivos de seguridad y control:

a. En la entrada, no piden carnet, ni tampoco cédula. Sólo preguntan verbalmente a que lote van? y automáticamente dejan pasar. ¿Cómo sabe el guardia que la persona que entra es quien dice ser? Es decir el o la propietaria del lote que menciona? Lo verifican si están en cuentas malas?

No veo que se toman tiempo suficiente (ni dos segundos) para ninguna verificación, así que asumo que no. Lo que me da la impresión que los guardias si te conocen de cara, te dejan pasar (pero conocen de cara quien debe cuota y quien no?). Por otro lado, hoy día los maleantes, se visten bien y aparentan ser educados y gente de bien... ahí pueden entrar unos maleantes xyz bien vestidos y los dejan pasar??? No es que sea paranoica, pero si hay una garita, debe cumplir su propósito CONTROL Y SEGURIDAD y la situación del país no está para menos.

b. En el restaurante, allí han implementado un control más serio, pero aún falta: Le dije mis números de lotes, me dijo que yo estaba EN CUENTAS MALAS!!! Casi me da un infarto, yo pago puntualmente. Me dijo que tenía un lote en cuentas malas, le volví a repetir el número de mis lotes, me dijo que no, que aparecía una señora SANDRA y que el sólo me decía lo que decía la computadora (laptop) ... más me asusté... le entregué mi carnet y le dije que yo había comprado mis lotes directo a Melo y que no conocía a ninguna SANDRA... y luego dijo amablemente que se había equivocado.

Los guardias son muy amables y eso es importante, pero deben implementarse como debe ser las medidas de SEGURIDAD Y CONTROL DE ENTRADA. Además deben dar el entrenamiento en el uso de las computadoras para que no le digan a uno que es buena paga que está en cuentas malas.

Yo escribí un correo el día lunes al Sr. Castrellón, Gerente de Vistamares, y no me contestó. Asumo que este foro lo leen también las personas de Cerro Azul y Vistamares, así que tomaré esta nota, como un segundo aviso.

Estimados Propietarios,

Ayer 3 o 4 hombres enmascarados con pistolas, escopetas y machetes entraron a la casa de un residente permanente en El Frente. Los amarraron y robaron computadoras, celulares, etc. Esta mañana, la casa de otro residente fue atacada de la misma forma excepto que cortaron el cable del teléfono. La policía fue notificada.
Dear property owners,
Yesterday 3 or 4 masked men with a pistol, a shotgun and machetes entered the house of a full time resident in El Frente. They tied up the owners and stole computers, cell phones, etc. This morning another full time resident house was attacked in the same manner except that the telephone line was also cut. The police have been notified.

Please logon to the forum to discuss this message.
Por favor se entra el foro para hacer comentarios sobre este mensaje.

We are saddened to read of the recent armed robberies.
Having been victims ourselves (at another location) we regret that this has now come to Cerro Azul also, though perhaps "inevitable"?
The economy EVERYWHERE is no doubt partly to blame, but not an excuse to violate our homes and persons.
We hope that neighbors will come together and, along with Cerro Azul's 'official' security, be willing to share information about suspicious activities and also be willing to become part of "neighborhood watch" groups in our various communities, despite being so spread out. We ourselves are unfortunately not in Cerro Azul for a few months, but will be willing, on our return to become part of a "watch" group, as it is essential to keep INFORMATION flowing. Sending best wishes to all for a new vigilance to ensure our safety and security. Maricia and Ted Centinela

Policia Nacional advises us the culprits are under arrest. One is in the hospital. Some of our possessions have been recovered. I am most happy that our wedding rings are there. The police with the help of the Vistamares security detail did an excellent and quick job in apprehending the three who entered our home. Our thanks go out to all the many police and citizens who assisted us.

We agree that more communication among owners and administration is warranted. This forum is a natural conduit to keep us all informed. I wish more people would use this resource. Also, a simple phone tree could be another measure to make us feel more secure. In our case, I don't see how this home invasion could be absolutely prevented, but more and better communication can help after the fact.

Let's stick together!

No entiendo como es posible que esta situacion de violencia e inseguridad se este presentando tambien
en Cerro Azul, ahora, como es posible que eso suceda y no agarren a los ladrones? que pasa con la garita? que pasa
con el personal de seguridad que supuestamente hay para vigilar y saber quienes entran y salen del proyecto. Realmente
es urgente que se tomen medidas drasticas sobre este asunto, realmente es de temer que uno quiera pasar en su casa un
fin de semana, y suceda algo asi, que puede resultar peor, porque pueden haber heridos o muertos. Por favor, esto es
muy grave, hay que decidir que se puede hacer al respecto. Hay que comunicar enseguida a la administracion, para que tome medidas mas energicas al respecto
Gracias, por su aviso.
Ana Tirado
Altos del Castillo

I John James Cilliers, Owner of 123 La fortaleza was one of the victums of this series of robberies.

The thiefs broke a door and a window and violated our home.

It was with sadness that my friend Mr. Antonio Latorre informed me today that some residents has the wrong information about what happened.

Some people seems to think that some people was staying in my house.......and then went about robbing people in the mountain.

This is completely incorrect.

For the correct information please contact the head of security of Los Altos Senior Andreve and also the police.

Please be advised that I was a victum of these crimes and my home was violated.

Regards
John Cilliers

Yo John James Cilliers, Propietario de 123 La fortaleza era una de las victums de esta serie de robos.

Los ladrones rompieron una puerta y una ventana y violaron nuestra casa.

Es con tristeza que mi amigo, el señor Antonio Latorre me informó hoy que algunos residentes tienen la información incorrecta acerca de lo sucedido.

Algunas personas parecen pensar que algunas personas se quedan en mi casa ....... y luego se dedicaban a robar a la gente en la montaña.

Esto es completamente incorrecto.

Para obtener la información correcta, por favor póngase en contacto con el jefe de seguridad de Los Altos Superior Andreve y la policía.

Tenga en cuenta que yo era un victum de estos crímenes y mi casa fue violado.

Saludos
John Cilliers
John James Cilliers Mensajes: 1Joined: sáb 03 de agosto 2013 04:33 Número pmLot: 123Urbanization: Fortaleza

superior

COPIA DEL CORREO QUE MANDE AL ADMINISTRADOR GABRIEL CORREA.

Buenos dias Senor Correa,

Despues de los dos atracos a mano armada ocurridos el pasado jueves por la tarde y el viernes
por la manana, a residentes de Altos del Frente y Centinela respectivamente, tenemos, al igual
que muchos propietarios, inquietudes sobre la eficiencia de la Seguridad, dentro del Residencial.

Por ese motivo, le solicitamos un reporte, informandonos lo ocurrido exactamente, junto con el
informe oficial de la Policia.

Nos preguntamos entre otras cosas :

- Por donde entraron al Residencial esos maleantes con revolver y escopeta?
- En donde pasaron la noche tranquilamente dentro del Residencial?
- Por donde salieron con todo el botin?

Y, lo mas importante, qué medidas inmediatas va a tomar la Administracion,
junto con el equipo de Seguridad, para que esos hechos tan graves no se
repitan nunca mas.

En espera de su pronta respuesta, le envio un cordial saludo,

Ana Ines Lorenzana-Lechat
Altos del Frente 50

PS Este correo electronico lo estoy copiando en el foro, por lo que todos
los propietarios tenemos el derecho de saber lo acontecido. Por el
mismo motivo copiare tambien su respuesta

When Jen and I heard about this, we knew the BANDITS had to be caught.
If they were not - then it will happen again and again and that would be terrible!
We are so sorry for the horrible ordeal of the victims, so we thought what can we do to help.
We only know Leslie and Cindy, and it must have been a terrible ordeal!
The thing to remember is that it could have been us - or you or your loved ones!
And somebody could have got hurt or killed.

So we immediately went to see Eduardo (SECURITY) and offered a reward of $1,000 for their capture - "DEAD OR ALIVE!"
We know that Money does motivate people in Panama to do even better than their usual best - as money is always tight for workers here.
$$$ By the way, that's a LOT of money for us - it's basically enough to sustain Jen and I here for 2 months. $$$
$$$ Whilst this REWARD news is after the fact (There was no time to tell anyone - we had to act FAST!) any donations towards that reward will be greatly appreciated. $$$
That night, the Bandits were captured! I'm sure the extra incentive made people feel better about working overtime and in the rain, manning road-blocks etc.
The loss of property value, due to this incident, probably adds up to Millions of $'s when taken together for all residents here.
Forget about any "quick sales" of homes or properties now - it will be even slower than the few years it normally takes and the price will be for much less too!
Anyway, we will make sure that we have a formal presentation of the award money to the Police and our own Security people and let people know where and when or how.
We do not want anybody to get fired as a result of giving them money, so We will have to get creative in how we do this.

The only good thing about them still being alive, is that we can now get the Police to interrogate them and find out
(1) How they got to know about Los ALtos de Cerro Azul
(2) How they got in.
(3) Where they slept while here
(4) Did they have any help, on the inside, by someone who lives or works here?
(5) Where's the rest of the loot (they apparently did not have it all on them when caught)
(6) We need to give input to the Police for questions we would like to have asked of the Bandits
(7) We need to address, once and for all, WHO EXACTLY is allowed into CERRO AZUL, and who is not.
- there are way too many people, clearly NOT residents or property owners, that we see here now.
Living next to the RIVER and RECREATION area with the swing bridge, we are astounded at the number of people here that
could not possibly be owners - and not accompanied by ANY owners either.
That has to stop! For that matter, anybody who has not PAID their fees, or are more than 3 months in arrears, must not be allowed in either - PERIOD!
The only way we can limit these BANDIT CRIME SPREES - is to be a very exclusive place - and then watch the PROPERTY VALUES soar!
I mean, who wants to live in a remote wilderness that has problems with Bandits? Who will pay big money for that?
A good name is hard to earn - but very easy to lose!
Cerro-Azul must be kept for only Property owners and their guests. Other people do not care about it or our safety, maintenance - they do not pay, and
we have to constantly go and pick up their garbage too, as even the PAID garbage people only empty bins, but do not walk around and pick up the other garbage.
It stands to reason that if Cerro Azul has 1,000's of weekly visits by people who cannot afford to own property here,
Then at some point some of them will get bad ideas - or will talk to others who will form bad intentions!

So far, every time this has happened, SECURITY and the Police have caught them.
The last time, many years ago, one was also in Hospital.
The one and only road in and out is very helpful to assist in catching bandits trying to make their escape.

However, I think there are many much bigger issues here, and I really do insist that
We all have some formal meeting ASAP, while people still remember this incident well,
So that we can compare thoughts and ideas and information and formulate a strategy to
avoid this ever happening again.

SUGGESTION: Let's buy the GARITA a DIGITAL CAMERA with a BIG memory card.
Let everyone Going in, or out, that the guards do not personally know, have their photo taken.
Cameras keep pictures, times, dates and even GPS information.
Then let Migdalia switch memory cards once a week and save the old Photos on the Office Computer.
This way the Police can check to see who came in and when, with Eduardo (Security chief)
This is a very low-cast solution - and anyone who knows that their PICTURE has been taken will not do anything bad!

Ian (and Jennifer) Eloff - 7 years in Cerro Azul.

First, my sympathy and regrets to the victims. We are very grateful that no one sustained lasting injuries.

I will add my voice to insisting that our Administration provide full details about this event to all so that we can learn from it and avoid having it repeated in the future. The first and most important role of the administration is to assure the safety, peace and tranquility of our community. We residents also must be ever watchful of our community and promptly communicate with one another, the administration and security about what we observe.

We need a rigorous written security plan to be established and adhered to, as well as an active community watch program. We need clear control over who is allowed entry to the community. The concern regarding the abundance of non-residents who are not guests of a resident being permitted entry to the community is shared by many I have talked to.

The size of the community and the fact that most homes are not occupied full time makes assuring security and safety challenging, not impossible. Based on my extensive experience in performing security vulnerability assessments and managing security operations for over 20 years, I recommend a Security Task Force be established that is responsible to evaluate the current security situation, look for vulnerabilities, and lead the recreation of a comprehensive security plan for the community. This should be a small group, 4-5 people, that includes the General Manager of the Administration that will report findings to the community upon completion of the assessment and make recommendations. Because this is a truly critical issue for the safety and security of the community, there should be no delay in doing this.

The idea of a camera at the gate is good, yet it would be far improved if a secure Internet accessible camera is installed that provided for digital recording of all activity. The recorded images would be retrievable and greatly aid investigation.

Let us all become active in assuring the security and safety of our community, and preserving the value of our homes!