Thugs on motocycles; big problem, few answers

Santo Domingo.- While citizens continue to be wary of publicplaces and worry about their safety, the holdups using motorcycles, muggers maketheir escape look easy, as assaults have increased in the last few days, witheight cases including that of deputy Education minister Luis de Leon.

Police meanwhile continue looking for ways to prevent them,but the criminals outdo their own feats and seem increasingly encouraged toattack victims at any time of day and place, with their motorcycles the mostreliable means of escape.

But despite that the latest assaults include somefatalities thus far the authorities have yet to identify any perpetrator.

Land Transit Agency Resolution No. 02-16, which lists the measuresto combat muggings and other crimes in which motorcycles are used, lists the waysto regularize the over 1.5 million bikes in the country.

The resolution however seems to go unenforced.

Newspaper Listin Diario reports that studies reveal that motorcyclesare used in as many as 80% of the country’s robberies.

Conundrum

Adding to the chilling figures is the fact that motorcycleshave become the most widely used form of passenger transport in the country.