It's a cover-up! If no one reports extortion by police then maybe .... the crimes do NOT exist. The above noted crimes usually happen to tourist & poor Dominicans without a voice so, according to the RD Gov it does not matter.

I wrote on 12/20/07 about a drug dealer from the Pichardo brothers gang in Santiago who went on a shooting rampage in the poor barrio of Ensanche Caonabo (Los Platanitos). The gunman goes by the street name of "Choppo" but real first name of Jose Annibal who made a victim of an innocent by-stander who is a teenage boy and also a near victim of a 14 year old girl. The police were notified but said it was drug problem should be reported to DNCD but theses agents said that it was a gun crime thus the police should deal with it. In the end, niether came and thus the crime is a non-issue while the poor barrio citizens live in extreme fear!

Since, I know the true reality, it is always sickening to read Police press releases to make them selves feel good!

Please tell this B.S. to the people who got robbed in the south (Boca Chica <-> Juan Dolio)

They have another opinion about this

What a bunch of lies. Please stop telling lies!!!!!!!!!!

Read the news ! even the best security cannot stop crime and violence and today the assasination of BB.

For crying out loud you people mention a few isolated incidents, that are unfortunate but reality any where in the world.

These postings about this group in Santiago are getting old , have you sent anything to the DNCD or the DNI are you willing to be a witness when these criminals get brought to justice ?(and they will).

Again embrace the improvements and look around, the streets are quiet and where there are large gatherings there's a police presence.

There is still a lot more work to do but this is great news for the Dominican Republic.

@Jander, the crime rate is not on an all time low, most likely the opposite. Many robberies and assaults happen all the time. Police presence is good in the main streets of Santo Domingo, but once you drive off them there's basically no police. 2 weeks ago a friend got robbed, his cell phone, documents... all. A few weeks ago they stole about 30 guns from a government building. I just keep hearing from people they got robbed.

As I said before, any good news will only be distorted by cynical extremists here on dtoday.com. DaniDR: the fact that you want to see the current gov destroyed takes away from any opinion you may have about where the crime level is, especially bc you are in no position to say that crime is increasing; I doubt you hold a position to record all crime in the DR to say such a thing. The report did not say that crime is diminished...it said it has decreased.

JD: get over it already...how many years ago was that? hold a press release or go to Huchi Lora or Nuria to report that...or just hire a hit man to kill Chopo or whatever his name is...just to end your misery; I don't see the point in telling us here.

The report says that insecurity has gone down from 77% to 30%. First of all, maybe people got used to crime. Second, I don't think I'm being extremist in any way, I'm just saying the truth as I see it through my eyes. The reality is i'm not secure. A family member was robbed at gun point, friends are getting robbed all the time. Worst of all, people are getting used to crime and they see it as normal.

By the way I don't want to see the current government destroyed, I don't even have the right to vote on the DR elections. I just want to see a government do it's job and tell the truth, maybe even using numbers from time to time, and how they got their studies.

You can't judge the entire country based on your life in a barrio. I wouldn't judge the US's crime stats according to how things are in lets say...Camden, NJ. Maybe in your barrio crime is on the rise, but that doesn't mean it's the case in the entire country. Why don't any of you say anything when the authorities report an increase on specific type of crimes? is it bc it takes away from your need to bash them? if they were so intent on lying about stats, why would they mention this? why would they mention that there's an increase on drugs being dropped by planes in the east if they're such dirty liars?

Even if in every report they were to explain how they got their studies, you would still say they are lying bc the cup will always be half empty for you.

Just bc NYC is now one of the safest cities in the world, doesn't mean that everyday you don't see some gang beating up on deliverymen, robbers robbing stores and cab drivers, serial rapists and murders on the run, serial muggers, etc. etc. That doesn't give me or you the right to say that it's a lie when people who have studied the crime rate say that NYC is one of the safest and crime is down.

El_Mayimbe, I live in Naco, Santo Domingo. I hear about crime not only in my barrio, but about people that live in many other places, both good and not so good.

They report about the increase in drugs being dropped so they can say they caught more quantity of drugs. I don't know the stats on drug dropings, but I am involved in my own life where my stats come from people I know, and I see the situation is not improving. That's not bashing the government or being degenerative, just reality.

When 30-50% of the people you know has been mugged, there's a serious problem.

Where can I find information on the types of crimes commited in RD/SD?

"They report about the increase in drugs being dropped so they can say they caught more quantity of drugs"

Where is your proof? that is a major accusation. Who are you to say such a thing? and you're telling me that that's not cynical? I mean honestly.

And by the way, you do not know most dominicans in the DR to say that in the ENTIRE NATION, crime has decreased. Nor do you follow everyday homicides, robberies, etc. to merit any credibility in your statements.

Clearly, there are some major disconnects and reality checks are needed but this should NOT make anyone angry.

There is documented & undocumented crime. Some undocumented goes unreported by victims but often it is reported but swept under-the-rug by officials. The shooting spree by Joses Annibal from the Pichardo's gang in Santiago was 5 days b/4 Christmas "this year". Also, his brother street name Bacho deals drugs from a colmado had shot-up another barrio in summer 2007 but drug money paid for his freedom.

The TRUE DIFFERENCE is that when crime happens in Camden or NYC you can call the police and get a prompt response (without a bribe) where criminals are taken to justice. Consequently, there is a deterrent to crime in the US vs the RD (as the Dominican deportees found out). The point of me noting RD police & DNCD corruption is to speak for poor, seniors & youth who do NOT have a PC nor internet.

There is a major ripple effect due to lazy & corrupt Police & DNCD.

(con't)
The negative impact of crime, corruptions, drugs decrease the productivity of any country but also makes the costs of doing business extremely HIGH vs competing countries. For example, when manufactures must pay triple energy costs due to ongoing thefts of energy & cooper lines for exports. Thus, without law eforcement & security of business assets it's better to close down shop & jobs from Santiago free trade zone & relocate where there is a better support system.

Given the very cheap & abundant Haitian (and Dominican labor), short distance from Puerto Plata's Port to the US (Miami), lower shipping costs AND free trade agreement (DR-CAFTA)....why is it that China can manufacture textiles, electronics etc better & cheaper into the US DESPITE high US import tarrifs? NO EXCUSES!

RD officials stop living in DENIAL and do your jobs, hold junior officiers accountable. There is a high cost of RD inefficiency & corruption that Dominican society pays for. NO EXCUSES!

You are going way too off tangent JD...we are talking about the FACT that crime has decreased.

And if you have given yourself the title as the "voice of the poor people w/out PC's"...you should go elsewhere with your rants about whatever crime figures are in your barrio bc obviously no one here can solve that problem. Like I said, I'm sure Huchi Lora or Nuria would be interested.

There has been an increase in police presence here in Punta Cana, but it is totally blind to the Dominicans...instaed targetting the foriegners who have decided to live here and contribute to the Dominican coffers. Problem is...the police know that the pockets of foriegners are deeper than Dominicans on ...also...a foriegner is less willing to challenge the fine...the time it takes and the inconvenience of having to drive an hour away to defend yourself.

On the other side of the coin, as someone who is now involved with a poor...but well dressed woman in La Romana, I am seeing absolutely no police in her bario. She told me about a robbery of her house a while back where she confronted the robber, who then threatened her and her families life...if she was to talk to the police. needless to say...the crime went un reported, as the police here have little time, nor want to get involved in anything that does not line thier pockets immediately...like bothering foriegners.

Well rather then argue, I am going to agree that there is still crime but the curfew is working.

If you are out in the streets after the the bars and disco's close you have a good chance of being stopped and checked out. If they bother you for money then ask for their names and report it.
I was getting pulled over for nothing and being extorted a few times, I just made sure I had the number of the embassy and Police department on speed dial and if they couldn't find me at fault for anything they let me go and never bothered me again.

El_Mayimbe maybe you can't make the connection but it does NOT undermine validity of the comments by others above including mine. Many comments re-confirm mis-allocation of police man-hours i.e. shaking down foreigners vs. locking up criminals.

As a finance professional, I know how well you can make numbers say whatever you want. Like PuntaCanaMike's novia who lives in a typical barrio where police have NO presence thus crimes go unreported as police stats do NOT reflect the below-the-radar crimes under the tip of the iceberg.

I will simplify this for those like El_Mayimbe that need it, the connection is that crime increases when citizens do NOT have RD Gov support, options, jobs nor businesses to provide opportunity. Moreover, as crime rises along with political corruption it makes the RD less competitive globally & even unattractive for "high paying tech jobs in India & manufacturing in China" (not low-wage hotel service jobs). Please re-read my comments on China above.

JD_Dominguez,

The DR is losing high tech jobs because the country doesn't have enough highly trained workers.
This is first hand experince with trying to operate a "Silicon Valley " type start up here. The company gave it's best shot but pulled out and moved to India not because of crime but for the simple fact it requires hard work and dedication and Asia blows everyone away with those credentials. BTW they went public on the FTSE 2 years after they left.
Leonel and Delegation of Free Zone officials travelled to the Silicon Valley and Seattle during his first term. The president of all the Zona Franca's told me personally that Microsoft,Cisco and few others told him the country is more suited for call centers.
By the way jobs in that feild will increase in the coming years and the DR will be the number 1 near shore solution and will compete with India. So there is progress being made but it takes time and all those plans were halted during Hipolito's term.

Jander,

Thanks for feedback. I also agree the curfew is working along with alcohol restrictions but these steps should be the 1st steps of an overall strategic contra-crime plan. Secondarily, the lack of education emphases & highly trained workers are the #1 drivers of job losses.

But, what are the 2nd tier factors for jobs? What could the RD Gov have done to counteract job losses? What are the reasons for the other unskilled job losses that don't require high skills (i.e.Santiago free trade zones?)

What entities are provinding youth with PC/internet access & tech training? Does the RD Gov have a leading role or is it only Indotel & Microsoft?

Is the RD Gov pro-business (jobs) with infrastructure of law & order security, policing, low-cost energy, crime & judicial system efficient to bring down corruption, attract & retain via "diverse" businesses not only low-paying tourism jobs?

How effective economically is the RD vs. Asian Gov. for busienss development?

i go to puerto plata every 3 months and last time in sept i was held up bt three men with two guns wanted my chain on my neck not for the forst time well NO MORE I NEVER GAVE IT AND REPORTED IT TO POLICE not interested unless i gave them 5000 dp to investigate had a name but they were not caring to listen sometimes they are worse than the robbers

Man I don't know about you guys from the states telling us how it is here!

You can't get the police to even come to the scene of a crime without first agreeing to pay for gas for these LAZY CROOKED BASTARDS to come and do NOTHING!

I stopped calling the police because first they are USELESS and 2nd they just don't give a crap. They did stop me on the Highway to tell me it was Navidad though.

How can you tell if the police are lying about statistics?


THEIR LIPS ARE MOVING!

I love this curfew! Anything a person can do to get some peace and quiet is good.

The free zones became uncompetitive when Leonel and Company manipulated the value of the Peso. Funny thing was it was the most appreciated currency in the world for exactly NO REASON which of cause was a hoot.

We now interrupt this program ( or distortions) for a point of information:

"The report did not say that crime is diminished...it said it has decreased."

Gosh and I always thought diminished and decrease where one in the same or better said, synonymous.

Guess what it is!

Diminish

1 : to become gradually less (as in size or importance) : DWINDLE
2 : TAPER
synonym see DECREASE
- di·min·ish·able /-ni-sh&-b&l/ adjective
- di·min·ish·ment /-m&nt/ noun

Source:

http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwdictsn?va=diminished

Now back to our regularly scheduled program, "Believe Everything Goverment Officals Tell You" sponsored by the SunLand Corp. and the makers of "Fantasy Island," here on DMN (Diandino Metro Network) channel 666.

Jander, please help me here. you stated that the DR will become the # i nearshore call center solution, if i read you correctly. i wonder how that will be achieved vis a vis the united states, what with the language difference. please enlighten me, as you seem to be versed in the subject. thank you. one of the basic problems that we have here is that nobody understands the concept of urgency, and, in todays economic world, one of the most important issues is that of the supply chain. things have to be delivered at the lowest cost, with the most reliability and timeliness possible. if not, the supply chain will experience a phenomenon called Bullwhip Effect, causing supply shortfalls and also supply overruns. all of these issues add to costs, but we have not evolved sufficiently in business matters to appreciate those aspects of commerce.. we need more business schools here to prepare the productive community for the arduous task of competing effectively.

Your right Josean...I do know the meaning of the word but misused it. I meant to say eliminated, eradicated, exterminated...I think you get the point...and i'm sure you got the point to what I meant to say in the first place.

Do you see a trend of Maria being robbed but police wanting RD$ 5k , PuntaCanaMike's novia home being burglarized, DaniDr & Escott's experiences with crime & police. A big corruption factor drives up high costs which is anti-competitive as noted by Dreadlocks.

CORRECTION: The RD has the "POTENTIAL" to be the #1 call center destination but RD Gov actions are needed 1st. Being cost competitive (energy, security, policing, respecting Int'l laws such as copywrites), providing business incentives instead of sky-high corruption costs (i.e. bribes) & making english mandatory in grade school. How can you operate a CC efficiently when energy inflation is out of control due to energy & cooper line thefts? This leaves a bigger burden on payng clients thus bringing us back to our main point - POLICE FAILING TO TAKE ACTION!

Most see the trend via root causes of CORRUPTON driving all costs higher (i.e. energy) making the RD uncompetitive despite near-shore status & very cheap labor.

Business leaders are risk averse & especially with multi-million investments. In the internet boom, I spent years with a credit card & e-business firm. All major markets had heavy spanish speaking populations which were solid customers in (Dallas, Houston, LA, Phoenix, NYC etc).

The RD is a chip-shot expansion decision with cheap spanish speaking labor force, demoncratic Gov & near shore operations to service our fastest growing client base US latinos. We could hire Dominican college students & less educated workers but have an bilingual Mgmt team to provide OTJ training.

Now tough questions are: How much do bribes increase our start-up costs? Energy inflation in years 2 to 10? What happens if our Call center is rob then what type of legal recourse via police/judical system do we have and what are the chances of recovery? Security of our American mgmt living in the RD?

DECISON: Big beneftis of cheap labor, near-shore status & free trade fade so we to expand to India & US.

WOW, any good news in D.R is bad news, there shouldnt be any media then, if people are going to be acting like this. Whats the point if dominicans cant recoginze when our government is trying to do something good. No wonder people in latin america, think dominicans are the most hard-headed SOB's god put on this earth, because of negativy like that...geez people you ashamed of yourselfs

What makes you think BS is good news?

If there wasn't just cause for 'NEGATIVITY" I would wager there wouldn't be any. Everyone who lives here knows that the police, fiscal, judges are on the take and do NOT do the right thing!

I never thought Dominicans were hard headed btw!

Letter to the public,


Humm, let me exam the cause for this SOB's NEGATIVITY.

1. No medicine or basic supplies in the hospitals.

2. Free Trades zone jobs evaporating quicker than water in the Sahara desert.

3. School buildings, where they exist, in disrepair, unfinished or inadequately supplied.

4. Abysmal public education managed by the "education president."

5. Inconsistent super expensive electricity.

page 2.

6. No jobs or ridiculous pay for highly educated professionals.

7. More taxes than ever, but less services.

8. Half of the countries budget (possibly more) for public works spent on a 14 km Metro.

9. One of the worst ratios of distribution of wealth in Latin America.

10. Usury rates of interest, that at minimal stifle economic expansion for the ever diminishing middle class and out right choke to death the working poor.

Oops! I am so sorry my rose colored, PLD issued, sunglasses fell of my face.

No things are not that bad, it is all in our peasant hard headed minds, I will keep these sunglasses glued to my head.

Signed,

A recovering Negativist.

My new year's resolution, to resign from the negativist movement and join the:

Kool-Aid drinkers

People so committed to a political cause or candidate that they senselessly ignore facts in conflict with their political viewpoint.


Source:

http://www.jargondatabase.com/Jargon.aspx?id=1323


Kool-Aid drinkers of the World Unite, we have nothing to lose but our freedom!

my beef with these politicians is that they are so dishonest , even in reportage of situations ,that they cannot be trusted with a donut. here we have a police chief who states that crime has gone down, and there is TOTAL SECURITY in the country, whatever the hell that means! yet he does not give the readership a single crime statistic. instead , he quotes the results of a poll, which is an entirely subjective perception, and nothing rooted in reality. the point of the exercise is to confuse the mentally lazy. he serves up this porridge of platitudes , promises and hopes, pointing to not a single tangible achievement which can be expressed in terms of numbers.

Dear Mr Dreadlocks,
Now we are on the same page. Expand your vision to the rest of the rulers of this country and we will see things 100% the same way.

josean...to combat each point in order:
1-hospitals and medicine supply ARE improving. There is still a lot to go but this is not a new problem and not one that the current gov. is solely responsible for.
2-More zona franca jobs have been created than lost and those lost were mostly bc of the heavy competition in China / India. (unemployment decreased 3% partially bc of the amount of jobs created in this field).
3/4-Schools, same issue w/ hospitals (no other gov has built more in such a short period of time); they are improving. I do agree that much more needs to be done but things are being done, more than could have been said in previous gov. Have you seen the UASD by the way? and their new extenstions in Higuey, SFM, Elias Pina? etc.

5-Electric problem is very complex and is an old problem (takes time)
6-jobs are slowly being created; look at projects such as the Cyber Park. High paying jobs are not easy to create but in the meantime, the gov. is doing a good job in attracting foreign investment
7-Yes, more taxes but also more bridges, roads, schools, hospitals (have you seen the renders to the Ciudad de Salud?).
8-The Metro represents less than 4% of the country's budget, not half.
9-distribution of wealth...I agree, but this is why more dominicans are being trained in technical areas and learning other languages; to slowly move up the social ladder; this will take time (not 4 years)
10-Extreme poverty has decreased by 7%; there are more agencies available for business loans for the poor and tech training in diff areas. Oh and interest rates are lower and stable (many ppl purchasing homes and cars for this very reason).

For those who care to read carefully:

Half of the countries "budget (possibly more) for public works" spent on a 14 km Metro.

Emphasis on "public works budget" not the "country's budget"

El_Mayimbe, what is so complex about the electricity or lack of it?

There is NOTHING complex about it. There is money to be made from this and that is why it is a problem. I read two years ago that the Israeli Ambassador said it would help the DR to fix the problem in one year but of course the DR Government didn't take them up on it. Why you should be asking not stating that it is complex which you have no idea about.

You quote "Extreme poverty has been reduced by 7% and you produce NOTHING to back this up. When I read the statistics for how many people here have SIDA I have to laugh. This Banana Republic has NO IDEA how many people are in the population let alone a statistic like that and your "Statistic" is just plain silly for the same reason.

You are evidently on the Campaign Committee of Leonel and doing your best here. Your best is not good enough because your arguements hold no water.

to Mayimbe; i have a liitle personal problem which makes me define everything in terms of facts, results and statistics. you see, i dont like BS. so i looked at the report from the united nations democratic development index 2007, and it reveals the following
1) the dominican republic has declined more than 30% in the last year in the indices of democratic performance, and sits almost at the bottom of the table in all of latin america.here are some areasof concern
a) significantly worse performance has been recorded in the areas of INCOME GAP, INDEBTEDNESS, TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION
slightly worse performances; TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH, URBAN UNEMPLOYMENT, HOMES BELOW THE POVERTY LINE, HIGH SCHOOL REGISTRATION,
in the latest education performance evaluation by the UN of 131 countries, the DR came in at number 127 in the world; 4 from the bottom
the DR ranks number 3 in the world for countries with the worst electricity loss
it ranks no 14 in the world in terms of worst

mismanagement of natural resources.two really sad figures reveal that we rank no # 4 in the world behind brazil, the phillipines and thailand as a major exporter of prostitutes. along with that, of all immigrant groups in the united states, only colombians earn lower salaries than dominicans. that tells me that people are not being prepared for productive lives in the mainstream world. ofcourse, supporters of the regime will tell us that Leo is doing the best he can, and that hippo left him a mess. yes, when hipolito left office, the economy was in shambles. but economy is not the only aspect of government. this government is not ineffectual because it is broke; it achieves nothing ecause of a lack of vision and focus. it has a sophisticated public relations machine in place, designed to disseminate misinformation and manipulated statistics, confounding the people. Leonel is a more savvy guy than hippo ever was, and can fool the people with stunts more effectively than hippo ever could

almost 4 years after hippo left office, his antagonists are still blaming him for the state of affairs. one should realise that in the last 11 and a half years, Leonel has been president two -thirds of the time!!! and the continued decline in the statistics i already outlined cannot be attributed to hippo. as we speak, he is probably groping a succulent calabasa on his farm!!! the guy has nothing to do with the ineptitude today.

Mr Dreadlocks,
You seem to think that BS Abstractions like the truths you mention have anything to do with what is said here!

They aren't bothered with truths here a lot of times.

If the Police jefe is so confident that insecurity is down ...then why is the DNCD chief crying to the media along with press releases to this site that his very life is endanger?

RD Gov officials allowed the crime & drug underworld to grow more and more powerful as long as it was indirectly benefitical. There were many back-door deals & black businesses with drug micro-traffickers in the RD and the RD Police & DNCD. Now, the drug smugglers have gotten tired growing greed of Police & DNCD as well as them playing both sides that is looking the other way on trafficking via the RD and the US DEA.

The things that I witness first had in Santiago barrios like Los Platanitos (Ensanche Caonabo) between drug dealers and Police/DNCD agents are amazing and even hard for me to believe even after I see men who work for this police chief to enforce the law but then come to collect payoffs from the Pichardo brothers gang (Choppo).

El_Mayimbe, don't the Dominican people deserve bett

I agree Escott; the strategy here is to lie to the people all the time, because they know that most of them will not find out the truth. the strategy is simple; when things have a happy face, Leo will take the credit. he will appear in the photo op, grinning away with glee, holding the check on high. when the news is bad, he will resort to a tactic described by the poster called Escott; it is called the ODDERGUY SYNDROME. look around, find anyone you can to blame. blame hippo, blame the usa, blame the imf; that way, you will always be the good guy, because your failures are always someone else's fault.

Mr. Dreadlocks,
People always fight what I say but People always agree with me at some point. It is just a matter of time when the finkle finger of reason shows up right before your nose. I am just a little ahead of my time calling the preverbial spade a spade to the chagrin of others.