Citizens question official figures on homicide reduction in 2025: Where does Faride live?

Almost concluding 2025, the number of homicides in the country amounts to 1,205 violent deaths recorded.

Santo Domingo.- According to the balance presented at the meeting of the Joint Task Force, headed by Vice President Raquel Peña, the Minister of Interior and Police, Faride Raful, reported that this figure represents a significant reduction of 170 deaths compared to the same period of 2024. A team from De Último Minuto consulted several citizens to get their opinion on these statistics and whether they believe that the number of violent deaths in the country has actually decreased.

“What country were they talking about? Don’t they watch the news? Recently, in Villa Duarte, two people died in a violent incident; those are homicides. Before, that wasn’t seen so often,” said Isidro, showing his skepticism towards the official data.

José Félix also questioned the figures offered by the authorities and pointed out that the country needs more education, tolerance, and empathy to face violence.

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“For anything now they pull out a gun. This country is going downhill,” he expressed indignantly. According to the balance presented, the country maintains an accumulated homicide rate of 7.96 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025, compared to 9.6 in 2024 and 11.5 in 2023. This comparison reflects a decrease of 170 homicides compared to the previous year.