Minister of the Interior and the Police Franklin Almeyda reaffirmed his statement that the National Police needs managerial skills and that the Police Chief has resisted the application of the pay raises announced months ago. In what was certainly not published news, Almeyda said that the 20,000 police personnel that are in private service only obtain official authorization for this work by handing over their Police paychecks to their superiors, and that this money is shared all the way up the line, including by the police chief himself. The minister, who in theory at least is the superior of the Police Chief, said that these 20,000 agents should be in the streets preventing crime and not working in stores and restaurants because they get better pay there.
As reported, Almeyda said that in the face of this reality, the President and the Police Council ordered a general pay raise for all of the police personnel, but that the chief, General Manuel de Jesus Perez Sanchez has violated this decision.
During the television interview carried on Channel 11, Telesistema, the minister said that the National Police received a one billion peso increase in their budget and another RD$40 million to handle the increased salaries of its personnel. Almeyda argued that things have to change and that the police can no longer be the “darling” of the Dominican people.
Of course the Police Chief responded by saying that it was not true that there were 20,000 men and women working in hotels, stores and restaurants and that only 12,000 were available to work the streets against crime. He explained that of the 32,000 members of the force, there are 6,000 on governmental authority, 6,000 support and service personnel, 2,000 on internal affairs, 2,000 in the Tourist Police (POLITUR) and AMET and 2,000 more assigned to judges, 1,000 assigned to dignitaries, 1,000 assigned to jail duty, and 12,000 working the streets, of which 4,000 are on fixed assignments at the 600 police stations around the country.
The police chief pointed out that to carry out its duty the Police also has to have drivers, communication specialists, secretaries, musicians, athletes, mechanics, and station house personnel. The highest police officer said that it was a good thing that police personnel used their free time to study or work in different private establishments.
He was emphatic in saying that his statement in no way contradicted any statements made by any other authority. He said, “The minister is right when he says that there are not enough men patrolling the streets, since of the 12,000 available for this work there are 4,000 assigned to the station houses around the country and they have to stay there to receive the citizen’s complaints and indictments, while the other 8,000 are working the streets in two 24 hour shifts.”