President Ricardo Martinelli has appointed the current Minister of the Interior and Justice José Raúl Mulino to the new post of Minister of Public Safety. 
Martinelli did not say who will replace Mulino in the Justice portfolio.
The National Assembly approved the bill creating the Ministry of Public Security on March 31.It will combine combine control of the police, immigration, the Aeronaval Service and the Border Patrol under one authority.
The government said the move was made to improve public safety and to reduce red tape.
The move was supported by several civic leaders, who saw the change as a step in the right direction to improving security.