Deadly Crime in RD targeting EXPATS

orlando44

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Jun 20, 2012
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In light of the recent targeted and brutally vicious attack against the retired Italian gentleman I recently retired as well as a former colleague and we are looking for a nice place and we figure by combining our limited incomes we can perhaps carve a comfortable life and also watch each other’s back as well. But my friend prefers the countryside/mountains while I prefer being closer (if not in) to the city. In fact lived in SD from 2011 to 2014. Lastly a Dominican friend is telling me that he thinks we should choose Punta Cana as it is safer for EXPATS! DR1 community I know I broached this subject before but that horrible murder makes me wonder if the DR has (as my Dominican friend told me) gotten too dangerous.


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caribmike

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Jul 9, 2009
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There is no targeting of Expats specifically, they target each other too, even more than Expats...
 

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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This country like everywhere else fosters the potential for violent and deadly crime. Capers here are not normally ones that exhibit a whole lot of planning and sophistication. Usually just crimes of opportunity (robbery) that go wrong and someone dies. To be a focal point of criminal interest and targeted you need to stand out in the crowd, have lots of money or convertible items of value readily available to be grabbed.

You do need to carefully consider your actions and decide if the risk is worth the reward. Eg, going into town on New Years eve, getting snoggered and standing on a street corner looking for a taxi to take you home at 1 am.

If you do not present yourself or your home as an inviting target, then usually you are just fine. However, random acts of violence do occur from time to time and you have to recognize that no matter how careful you are or how little money you have in your pocket at any given time, someone may decide to check for themselves.

Police response times here are such that the landrones will usually be long gone by the time anyone arrives to see what all the fuss is about if they hear about a crime in progress in the first place.

It is possible to live here in relative safety with only a minimum life style changes. It takes some people a little time to brush the dust off their common sense but by in large, major instances of violent crime is not usually the norm - petty crimes of opportunity are more common.
 

bob saunders

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I believe as an foreigner, who is seen through the eyes of the average Dominican as rich, you need to be careful not to live in isolation. We live in the center of a busy neighbourhood and have longtime neighbours. It is too noisy at times but we are willing to sacrifice that for the added security. Crime happens close by but so far not on our street. The Barrio rats usually stick to the Barrio, thankfully. My wife, who is Dominican is far more cautious than me on who she opens the door for and who she invites in.
 

dv8

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if anything, it's the dominicans who are the main target of crime in DR. attacks on expats are less frequent and usually a close person is involved - life partner, domestic staff and so on. so i would not be that concerned about crime specifically although a certain level of precaution does not hurt: safe neighbourhood, alarm, whatever rocks your boat.

in the light of your requirements, i think santiago area probably fits the bill a lot better than punta cana. it's a large city surrounded by mountains, just a short drive away. it has all amenities and comforts of a large city with a possibility of a quiet country retreat whenever desire strikes.
 

SKY

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Apr 11, 2004
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Punta Cana is definitely the safest place to go. I should know a little on this as I had to blow away one guy in Sosua that cracked my head open with a machete. In PC I don't even bother to carry.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Punta Cana is definitely the safest place to go. I should know a little on this as I had to blow away one guy in Sosua that cracked my head open with a machete. In PC I don't even bother to carry.
Any place is probably safer for an ex-pat than Sosua...
 

SKY

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There are a lot of places in the DR more dangerous than Sosua. Try some sections of the Capital alone at night and see how you do.
 

ju10prd

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This was posted in a thread back in late December...

http://z101digital.com/articulos/pr...idios-y-suicidios-en-9-meses-en-rd-12-25-2017

La Altagracia (Punta Cana is in this province) province recorded a high number of homicides.

Drugs is a significant factor in homicides in DR along and when you mix foreigners in areas where drugs are accessible they become statistics too.

Many DR1 members live a peaceful life here in DR taking normal precautions living in campo, resort areas and in the city. Perhaps we integrate well and speak Spanish, and live like any normal middle class Dominicans. I don't see us as targets unless we land up at the wrong time in the wrong barrio.

Yes, there are a number of members who live in gated ex-pat communities and they feel safer there. But by doing so you do become potential targets because it is a community with wealth in one place, and so you must be sure of the security provided for you.

My advice to the OP is not to discount the city, and as an earlier thread there are some good gated communities on the north side of the city and that puts you on the doorstep of some lovely countryside with the city close by. Even somewhere like Jarabacoa where several active members reside might be of interest with Santiago close by. Or just to the west of the city where some members live you, are 30 minutes away from SD, close to some beaches and overlooked by some splendid mountainous country...and I have not heard those members of a close friend report of the areas being ridden with crime.
 
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Russell

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Jun 17, 2017
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I agree that one must hold and keep a low profile.
People see me doing my own repairs on the house and automatically think I cannot afford outside help.

I know there is crime in the Luperon area; but mostly restricted to other illegal activities such as narcotics and crimes of opportunity. I have been here off and on for nine years and have never been threatened nor robbed.
But may I suggest you do not establish a routine about anything. Ensure you cannot be tagged to be away for certain periods of time. And keep flashy jewelry in a strong box at home; do not draw attention to yourself...
Live like you would in London,New York or Toronto...carefully.
If in the campo , like me , the same measures will suffice.
This is a relatively poor country and expats are viewed as wealthy people ripe for the pickins'.

Russell loves it here!!

Russell
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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Being a crime victim in the DR is more related to your personal behavior than geography.
Remember the boy scout motto.
 

william webster

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I have owned check cashing stores in So Philadelphia.

You learn to vary your routine...a good practice and necessary in some circumstances
 

drstock

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Wow oooohhhh! Thank god you are ok! I am not a gun person but it would seem that I need to be


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Coming from the UK, where even the police do not normally carry guns, I hate the idea of having a gun, and if I thought it were necessary I would leave. Having said that, my friend let some undesirable people think I have a gun and I didn't deny it, just for a bit of added security!

The only place, anywhere in the world, where I have ever had a gun pointed at me was by some drunken American idiot in Cabarete.
 

chico bill

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Punta Cana is definitely the safest place to go. I should know a little on this as I had to blow away one guy in Sosua that cracked my head open with a machete. In PC I don't even bother to carry.

Were you never charged or have ramifications for shooting a Dominican ? I am sure you probably told your stroy but I have not heard about it.
Was that your reason behind a move to Punta Cana ?
 

CristoRey

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Apr 1, 2014
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Wow oooohhhh! Thank god you are ok! I am not a gun person but it would seem that I need to be


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If you feel that way don't come down here. This place (Santiago) is just as safe
as any big city in the states. Its all about opportunity. Giive someone an opportunity
and you'll get taken. Fear is nothing more than a frame of mind. Enjoy!
 

SKY

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Were you never charged or have ramifications for shooting a Dominican ? I am sure you probably told your stroy but I have not heard about it.
Was that your reason behind a move to Punta Cana ?





IT was told here. Just to recap it was ruled self defense. Was not a Dominican but a citizen of Puerto Rico. I had DR citizenship and worked for the Dominican Air Force so I never went to jail but for one night in the Colonels Room in Puerto Plata. I did not move until 5 years later, and nothing to do with the incident. I still have the licensed Glock that killed the guy.