The Superintendence of Private Watchmen and Security (Superintendencia de Vigilancia y Seguridad Privada – SVP) is urgently calling on the National Congress to pass a pending bill that would allow it to impose significant sanctions and fines on private security companies that violate regulations, Diario Libre reports. The call comes as the agency reveals that major irregularities, including the hiring of undocumented Haitian workers and the use of unregistered firearms, are rampant in the sector.
According to José Alberto Hernández Rivera, the deputy director of Operations for the SVP, the agency conducted 454 inspections across the country up to August, uncovering a pattern of illegal activity.
Hernández Rivera, speaking at the XVI International Conference on Security and Defense, detailed several alarming findings:
Undocumented Haitian personnel: The agency found cases of undocumented foreigners working security, including at financial institutions. Hernández Rivera stressed that existing regulations prohibit the employment of Haitian nationals—even those with legal residency—in security roles. The said Haitians have been found working in banks, which is expressly prohibited. The regulations the Superintendence has for companies establish that the employment of Haitian nationals, even if they are regular in the country, cannot perform security work,” he warned.
The use of unregistered firearms is another leading violation detected during the inspection sweeps.
Many companies were also found to be operating without a valid license.
Despite increasing operational capacity, the SVP official admitted the Superintendence is severely limited by a legal vacuum. The agency currently operates only under Decree 1128-03 from 2003, which lacks provisions for imposing penalties or fines.
“That limits us to retaining the weapons and coordinating with [Immigration] when it comes to undocumented foreigners,” Hernández Rivera noted.
The proposed bill, which would modernize the regulatory framework, remains under review in the National Congress. Its approval, according to the SVP, is critical to providing the agency with the necessary tools to audit, sanction, and professionalize the private security industry without relying on laws from other entities.
The lack of updated regulation is also contributing to a significant financial drain on the state. Hernández Rivera estimated that the government loses approximately one billion pesos annually from uncollected fees and licenses due to companies operating outside the formal system.
Currently, 453 security companies are formally registered, a number reportedly surpassed by the firms operating informally.
Hernández Rivera also cited the poor training of security personnel as a structural weakness, emphasizing a push for improved standards “from the uniform to the treatment of citizens” through training programs. The SVP’s push for new legislation seeks to establish a stronger, better-regulated, and more professional private security sector in the Dominican Republic.
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Diario Libre
30 October 2025