I have heard lately that there is a gang from navarette robbing people on campo roads they pull over for checkpoints . My suggestion is that if it is in a deserted area, and you don't see a police car, turn around and get away before u get there.
Odd that this was posted today. Coming home from Santo Domingo yesterday, we came along a quiet section of road, trees on both sides, no houses, nothing. No other cars anywhere. And for the first time in 40 years on that road we see two cops and a motorcycle up ahead. One stayed with the bike, the other stood in the road and waved his hand for us to stop.
I said "what do they want?" And Mr AE said "what do you think?". We slowed down and I looked over at the bike and was glad to see it did have the Policia Nacional markings.
Stopped next to first guy, rolled down window, guys bends down to see us both, says "Buenos tardes" and Mr AE replied. Then he asked if we were going to the beach and Mr AE told him no, we were going home. He smiled, straightened and told us to have a nice day.
As we drove away, I said that could have ended very differently, look around, no cars, houses, not even a cow.
Odd that this was posted today. Coming home from Santo Domingo yesterday, we came along a quiet section of road, trees on both sides, no houses, nothing. No other cars anywhere. And for the first time in 40 years on that road we see two cops and a motorcycle up ahead. One stayed with the bike, the other stood in the road and waved his hand for us to stop.
I said "what do they want?" And Mr AE said "what do you think?". We slowed down and I looked over at the bike and was glad to see it did have the Policia Nacional markings.
Stopped next to first guy, rolled down window, guys bends down to see us both, says "Buenos tardes" and Mr AE replied. Then he asked if we were going to the beach and Mr AE told him no, we were going home. He smiled, straightened and told us to have a nice day.
As we drove away, I said that could have ended very differently, look around, no cars, houses, not even a cow.
... a cow would have been a prevention of something bad happening?
I only doubt the 9th grade education?So much easier to drop a few hundred pesos then to get into a " you know who I know" argument with a chap that has a 9th grade education and the machismo of a 19 year old.
The issue is that once you are stopped, surrounded and the negotiation begins, there are no guarantees that the end result will be a "few hundred" pesos resolution. When you play the corruption game, sooner or later you will encounter someone who does not play by the established "rules" and then it's too late for a "do-over".
We've been driving here many decades. We've been stopped from time to time, and it's mostly been as I described above or exactly like Bob Saunders experienced today. Only twice were we asked obliquely for money - one guy said it was his birthday and he didn't have money for a cake, and the other, after looking at Mr AE and asking if he was military and getting a "no", said he was hungry and could we help buy him breakfast.
Stopped this morning at the entrance to the freeway to Santo Domingo coming from Jarabacoa. Well lit area polite young PN. Where arw you going where do you live what is your profession have a nice day.
I have been stopped a few times over the few years I have been going to d.r. .....mostly asked a question or two and waved on ...a few times outright asked for money as in " mucho hambre " I gave 100 /200 pesos and waved on and one time where I was stopped on the malecon in santo domingo as I was returning from boca chica about 5.30 in the evening ...the first cop tried to get me to drive down a side street ...he was joined by a number of cops..I refused because I thought it would be unsafe to do so ...I wanted to be seen ..he kept insisting that I pull down the side street and saying you have a lot of problems ...I had done nothing wrong ..even had my seat belt on and had not been on the cell phone ...eventually I was able to call someone I knew and they asked me to hand the phone to the cop ...as soon as the cop put the phone to his ear he threw it into the car and told me to get going ....I found out after that my friend had started the conversation introducing himself as lieutenant Rosario .....maybe I was lucky that it was on the malecon in santo domingo and not like AE ...stopped in the middle of nowhere
after that I bought a video recorder for the car ...better to have and not need than to need and not have