Spanish
Santo Domingo. – The Minister of Interior and Police, Faride Raful, addressed several key issues this Monday during the traditional press conference following the follow-up meeting on the Citizen Security Plan led by the Government every week. The official ratified the State's commitment to gender violence, the control of illegal weapons, police reform, and international cooperation against organized crime.
Raful described the violent behavior against women as "highly concerning", particularly when it involves members of law enforcement. He stated that corrective measures are being taken within the National Police, including psychological and psychometric evaluations of new officers, as well as monitoring those already in service. "I wish it were entirely predictable, so that no woman would die at the hands of any Dominican man, whether civilian or uniformed," he expressed.
Regarding arms control, the minister explained that a large part of the illegal smuggling comes from the United States and arrives in the country in containers from specific points, being then distributed in the territory or sent to other Caribbean islands. She said that the Dominican Republic has signed agreements with the OAS and the US Department of State to reinforce the monitoring and prosecution of arms trafficking, and announced that work is underway on a new system for registering and destroying confiscated weapons.
Regarding the progress of the police reform, Raful highlighted that more than 4,000 new agents have already graduated under a renewed approach, and that 2,009 more will be integrated soon. He emphasized the new institutional philosophy based on the motto "Protect and Serve" and not only on "Law and Order", with a more humanized structure. He added that the Health Directorate and training processes have been strengthened, as well as improvements initiated in the equipment and mobility of the agents.
In terms of international cooperation, Raful explained that in a recent meeting with security ministers from the region, the Dominican Republic was recognized for its progress in police transformation and topics such as cybersecurity, organized crime, and the use of artificial intelligence for crime prevention were discussed. "Organized crime knows no borders; if we do not unite as a region, crimes will continue to be committed with impunity," he warned.
In response to specific cases, such as reports of domestic violence and questioned police operations, the minister assured that all complaints are being rigorously investigated and that impunity will not be tolerated. "If there are failures in the procedure, we will correct them, but there is no tolerance for crime," she affirmed.
Finally, Faride Raful reported that the Ministry of Interior and Police is preparing a new national disarmament strategy, which will include regularization operations, mass destruction of illegal weapons, and a more rigorous systematized registry. "We are working on a comprehensive plan that will be presented in the coming months and that seeks to remove weapons from the streets and strengthen citizen security with responsibility and transparency," she concluded.
