The acts of vandalism that have occurred in recent days, which have forced the Government to launch mixed patrols, motivated the United States Department of State to alert its citizens to exercise caution when traveling to the Dominican Republic.
In a statement on his portal digitalthe State Department cites the reasons: “Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault, is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic.”
The statement states that the widespread availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system contribute to the high level of criminality on a broader scale.
As for tourist areas, the State Department reported that these are better guarded than urban areas such as Santo Domingo, due to a professional tourist police force, a 9-1-1 system, and better concentration of resources.
In Santiago and Greater Santo Domingo they have been the demarcations with the highest number of criminal acts. The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, attributes that the increase in deaths at armed hands is due to the government’s coup against drug trafficking, since in 20 months they have seized the same amount of drug that was seized in the last 20 years.
“It is good that the population knows that these are not isolated events, from 2004 to 2020, some 61 tons of drugs were seized in the country; and in 20 months, we have seized that same amount, obviously that is causing a situation, the difference is that, that we are not accomplices of the drug”, Abinader affirmed during an activity on Saturday in Santiago.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of State indicates that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have determined that the Dominican Republic has a moderate level of COVID-19.