We have strayed from the mission of our column because in an environment of high crime, investment, initiatives for progress, and especially the possibility of the poorest rising to environments capable of boosting their economic well-being and, above all, their deserved access to decent housing, cannot flourish. Crime drags everything down into chaos and uncertainty.
By Melchor Alcántara
It is clear to everyone that crime control is a determining factor for national development. The post-COVID era in the Dominican Republic is marked by multiple factors of economic necessity that demand social order. These include a tourism boom, unstoppable growth in construction, increased exports, a strong appetite for local investment from foreign entities, and an unprecedented boom in the industrial sector. While the government demonstrates its best intentions to preserve the necessary social order to support the development exhibited by the private sector, some of its key initiatives are clearly not yielding any results.
“All show and no substance,” a popular saying perfectly encapsulates what we observe regarding government initiatives to control crime. It all boils down to meetings, cosmetic changes, press releases, and comparisons with past administrations; without the slightest effort being made to understand the root causes of crime and its devastating consequences for the country's image and national development, not to mention the peace of mind that Dominican families deserve. Just this week, the U.S. State Department issued a statement warning its citizens of the dangers of visiting the Dominican Republic given the high crime rate reached in recent months.
This problem has already taken on a cancerous dimension within society, because residents of neighborhoods with high crime rates participate in a complicity fueled by fear, leading them to resist reporting criminals who, to make matters worse, have various levels of connection with members of the security services. Consequently, any reports a citizen might make in these areas often backfire. This clearly indicates that the disease has spread to the very agencies meant to prevent the crime they seek to eradicate. Increasingly, the internal intelligence mechanisms of our security forces will have to dedicate more time to investigating their own members.
In response to these events, the authorities present their most favorable statistics to the public through the press, hoping to stem the resulting loss of popularity. I'm no security expert, but I wonder: how many repeat offender cases do the criminal courts handle daily compared to first-time offenders? And how many repeat offenders do the police stations capture compared to first-time offenders? How many officials are arrested each year for aiding criminals in the commission of their crimes? What alternatives to the outdated practices of the past has the current administration implemented? Does a prisoner still have access to weapons, cell phones, or drugs within the prison system?.
The state, regarding the appointment of officials to agencies tasked with combating national security, must finally mature and appoint its personnel based on academic merit and proven experience, not on political connections or self-serving recommendations. It goes without saying that national security is being carried out with minimal equipment. There is a lack of investment in this area. While dangerous drug cartels and hitmen arm themselves with dangerous weapons of war, our law enforcement officers are deployed on the streets with appalling levels of inadequacy.
State strategies designed to combat crime are currently a national priority. The construction sector, which has maintained its growth across all sectors for the last 30 years, views with great concern the unprecedented surge in crime in recent months. We don't have to invent solutions. The positive experiences of other nations with even worse situations can serve as examples. We will not accept excuses of any kind that are not effective solutions. We will turn a deaf ear and will only accept and acknowledge concrete actions that contribute to solving this serious problem. Preserving national development depends on peace in our cities and neighborhoods. To the extent that we maintain low crime rates, we will experience greater real estate growth with access to better opportunities in our tourism and real estate market geared towards visiting tourists.
Currently, regions like Punta Cana and Bávaro in the East, as well as Santiago in the North, depend on low crime rates to boost the large-scale projects being developed in the area, both tourism and real estate. Much was said during the campaign about the current administration's ample capacity to tackle crime. Where are those men? Where are those strategies? The population is currently living in a growing state of anxiety due to the rise in crime, which seems to be overwhelming the government's capacity.
We have strayed from the mission of our column because in an environment of high crime, investment, initiatives for progress, and especially the possibility of the poorest rising to environments capable of boosting their economic well-being and, above all, their deserved access to decent housing, cannot flourish. Crime drags everything down into chaos and uncertainty.
The author is:
Lawyer, finance expert, coordinator of the National Construction Observatory (ONIC).
