In light of the terrible murder of an expat from the United States, the Director of  Costa Rica’s national police force has promised the town of Playa Tamarindo in Guanacaste that police presence will soon be doubled in this coastal community. Such was the commitment recently reported by Patricia Duran of daily tabloid Diario Extra.

Fuerza Pública Director Juan José Andrade has assured the community of Playa Tamarindo that the number of police officers will increase from seven to 14. He also stated:

Due to recent incidents that have brought about concern among the residents of this community, we have decided to open a new precinct and add one more all-terrain vehicle and two motorcycles so that we can increase patrols in this tourism hotspot, which is one of the most visited in the country.

Unfortunately, we had to abandon our previous precinct in Tamarindo because the Ministry of Public Health deemed it a safety hazard. Legally, we could not even work on improving the building on our own because it is not our property, and thus we had to operate from the nearby community of Villareal.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star:

A brutal beating during a robbery in Playa Tamarindo, one of the Gold Coast beaches of Guanacaste, resulted in the death of Barry Lawson, a 72-year old expatriate from the United States.

Mr. Lawson was surprised by the home invasion and was not cooperative with the attackers, who demanded that he reveal the combination to a safe kept in his residence. Mr. Lawson’s resistance resulted in a beating, during which he sustained a forceful strike to the head with a blunt object. The suspects walked out with $32,000.

Residents of the affluent Playa Tamarindo community, many of them North American and European expats, met with Fuerza Pública officials last week to discuss what they perceive as a breakdown of security. During the meeting, a 2,000 square meter parcel was offered to be donated to the Ministry of Public Security for the purpose of building a facility that can house law enforcement officers and emergency personnel. Budget allocation and construction plans for this facility will take place in 2016.

Agents from the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ) are looking for two suspects in this case. They are reviewing fingerprints, witness statements, tips, and surveillance video. Mr. Lawson was known as one of the founders of what Tamarindo Beach is today: An expat enclave that is sometimes called “Tamagringo,” and one of the most expensive tourist hotspots in Costa Rica. He created Amigos de la Educación, a non-profit organization that focuses on supporting low-income students. He was the type of guy who would love to dress up as Santa Claus and distribute toys for children from low-income families.