The sad fact is that nearly five thousand Dominicans and foreigners lost their lives last year. Some 4,992 people died in 2013 all over the country in murders, suicides, traffic accidents, drowning and electrocutions. This total is 292 fewer than in 2012 when 5,284 deaths were reported, a 5.5% reduction. Police statistics reveal that during the last year, 1,987 people were victims of murder, of which 578 were committed in the province of Santo Domingo, 250 in the National District, 171 in Santiago, and 108 in San Cristobal. The towns with the lowest number of violent deaths were Pedernales, with five, and San Jose de Ocoa and Santiago Rodriguez with seven apiece. The records show that more crimes tend to be committed on Saturdays and Sundays between 6pm and midnight. Last year there were 567 suicides, 481 by men and 86 by women, and they occurred in a greater proportion in the province of Santo Domingo, with 100 cases; 57 in Santiago and 46 in the National District.
Meanwhile, traffic accident fatalities totaled 1,892: 1,671 men and 221 women. There were 312 in the province of Santo Domingo, 135 in Santiago, and 122 in San Cristobal. In addition, 216 people were electrocuted last year, and 330 drowned. According to the report presented by the National Police to the National Congress, the Crime Index in the country has fallen by 23.4% from what it was in 2012 and 20.2% in 2013, the lowest in recent years. The 2012 statistical bulletin from the Public Safety Observatory, an agency of the Ministry of the Interior and Police, indicates that of the 5,284 violent deaths registered that year, the “intentional deaths – homicides and suicides – made up 55.4% of cases, while the “unintentional deaths” – from traffic accidents, drowning and electrocutions – represented 44.6% of cases.