Santo Domingo, DR.- Senator Antonio Taveras Guzmán proposed this Wednesday a profound transformation of the National Police through a new preparation scheme for officers, which includes specialized training of between two and four years before entering the police force.
During an intervention in the Senate of the Republic, the legislator proposed that professionalization must be the central point of any change in the law enforcement institution, with a system based on training, ethics, and respect for citizens’ rights.
Taveras considered that the modifications to the National Police should not be limited to legal or administrative changes, but should include a renewal of the institutional culture and the training methods of the agents.
The senator proposed that access to the police force be carried out exclusively through a specialized academy, where applicants receive comprehensive training in areas such as human rights, criminal investigation, conflict mediation, community service, public ethics, and the proportional use of force.
He stated that police work requires rigorous preparation due to the responsibility involved in protecting lives, guaranteeing rights, and acting in highly complex situations, which is why he rejected the idea of officers receiving brief training before assuming their duties.
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Likewise, he raised the need to strengthen the police career with a system based on merit, better working conditions, decent wages, independent mechanisms to investigate possible abuses of authority, and technological tools that promote transparency.
Although he acknowledged that the Organic Law project for the National Police currently being analyzed by the Senate includes progress, Taveras maintained that the country needs a broader vision to build a modern, professional institution oriented toward serving the citizenry.
The legislator stated that the Dominican Republic must move towards a new police model that allows for regaining the population’s trust and responding more effectively to security challenges.
