Santo Domingo.– The accumulated homicide rate in the country remains at 8.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, with 25 provinces below a single digit, Interior and Police Minister Faride Raful reported this Monday, at the conclusion of the 103rd meeting to monitor the Citizen Security Plan, headed by President Luis Abinader.
The official explained that the Joint Task Force is working on a strategic plan to reduce violent incidents in the nine districts with the highest incidence.
Likewise, it was pointed out that reports of robberies continue on a downward trend, decreasing from 55,248 in 2024 to 50,315 so far in 2025, which represents 4,933 fewer cases, according to statistics from the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office, and security agencies.
In operational terms, Raful highlighted that preventive patrols are maintained against crimes such as clandestine races and reckless maneuvers on motorcycles, in addition to the strict application of the resolution that prohibits carrying weapons in establishments selling alcoholic beverages.
The minister explained that the new police model is still in the pilot phase under a trial and error scheme, currently deployed in 72 quadrants with 119 assigned vehicles, agents equipped with new uniforms and patrolling strategies both on foot and motorized.
“Es un ejercicio constante de monitoreo, evaluación y corrección para consolidar un servicio policial moderno, cercano y efectivo”,
afirmó Raful.
When referring to the incident in Villa Mella, where a citizen pointed a weapon at police officers, Raful emphasized that the law enforcement body is obliged to respect the rights of citizens, but stressed that the population must exercise peaceful and respectful coexistence with the authorities.
In that sense, he urged citizens to respect social and noise pollution regulations, and to collaborate with the National Police in crime prevention, civic education, and strengthening security.
For his part, the director of the National Police, Major General Ramón Antonio Guzmán Peralta, recalled that the agents’ action protocol establishes first the presence and persuasion, then communication and the use of non-lethal instruments, and ultimately the response with the same level of force with which the police officer is confronted.
Immigration Prohibitions
In other news, Raful reported that the government’s joint migration interdiction operations managed to return 18,067 undocumented Haitians between August 1 and 16, with the support of the General Directorate of Migration, the Ministry of Defense, and local authorities.
“Trabajamos con planificación, monitoreo y evaluación permanente. La seguridad requiere corresponsabilidad ciudadana, educación y prevención. Ese es el compromiso que seguimos asumiendo”,
