Police chief Major General Manuel Castro Castillo has called for an end to lenience by the courts at a time when 89 police agents have been murdered and another 130 injured by criminals. In an interview with El Nuevo Diario, Castro said: “It’s a war.” He said the criminals do not respect uniformed police on the beat.
He reported that the Police have arrested 40,342 people for crime. 22,000 were arrested for robbery and muggings. “But many of them are let out of jail easily,” he said.
Castro Castillo called for a more active judiciary that applies the laws and codes because “if Justice played its role, there would be less crime.”
He said that while the Police starts the investigation into a crime, it is the prosecutor who validates the proof. If there is an error in the paperwork, then the prosecutor should tell the police to correct it, he said.
He went on to say that what happens is that the criminals kill agents, fire at them and many of them get out by paying as little as RD$2,000.
The Police chief said that in Villa Maria recently, a police patrol tried to stop criminals who had mugged a group of young people in the early hours, and the criminals fired at the police. “In any other country, when they saw the Police those criminals would throw their firearms to the ground and would go to jail for at least five years. Here they fire at the Police and remain on the streets,” he said.
The Police chief said that homicide rate in 2013 was 20.3 in every 100,000 and this has dropped to 18.4, which is significant.
Commenting on the reasons behind crime in the country, he mentioned that the Police had seized 1,610,824 grams of narcotics. But he recalled that a General from the US Southern Command had told the US Congress that the United States had lost the war against drugs, and that the Caribbean route would increasingly be used by traffickers for sending drugs to Europe and the United States.
Castro said that drug trafficking set up shop here a long time ago, and has grown to the point where it generates 75% of crime. “Other organizations like the National Drug Control Agency are not criticized and no one talks about their deficiencies,” he complained. He defended the National Police by saying it is one of the law and order institutions that worked the hardest and with the greatest efficiency.
In his opinion one of the best ways to guarantee citizen safety is through education. He said that President Danilo Medina was “planting” schools. “The more education there is, the less crime there will be,” he said.
“There are 8 to 12-year-old girls and boys in the barrios who are already addicted to drugs and are potential criminals,” said Castro. He also called for more responsible parenting.
Castro called for more funds for the police in the 2015 National Budget. He said that a police agent should not earn RD$6,000 a month. He said that instead the wages should be RD$18,000 or RD$20,000 a month. He said this would enable the police to attract better candidates for police officers. He said the Police would soon have a Police University to train new recruits in coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education (MESYCT).
He announced that he is working to reform the Police by establishing a new culture and creating police agents who are closer to the community, and are less repressive. But he said that criminals often leave the police with no other option than to fight against them and respond in kind.
In his defense of the Police, he said that the force is working proactively and investing in intelligence, especially to combat contract killers and organized crime.
He said there was transparency in procurement and that the processes were monitored by government-appointed oversight committees. He commented that the Police had already been congratulated by the Ministry of Public Administration for being the government entity that has been most open to small and medium-sized business in procurement.
He announced more patrols for Santiago, with 50 new pickups being sent to the province this week. He said they were part of 704 police patrols at the service of the 911 System. He said that 400 more motorcycle patrols would be added in September. Next the Police will add new vehicles for patrols in Puerto Plata, San Cristobal, Peravia (Bani) and Barahona.
The police chief said that the 911 system has reduced murders by 60% in the province of Santo Domingo and Greater Santo Domingo. He also mentioned the increase in equipping the Police including the major donation of motorcycles for the patrols from Taiwan.
Regarding kidnappings, he said they have disappeared because the Police have taken strong measures against this kind of crime.
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