SANTO DOMINGO. – The U.S. State Department yesterday alerted tourists who visit Dominican Republic on the risks of being victims of common hoodlums in cities, beaches and resorts, as well as by Police agents who demand bribes. “Crime continues being a serious problem in all of the Dominican Republic.”
The warning, in the State Department Consular Topics Section’s Web site (‘travel.state.gov’), corresponding to Dominican Republic, is similar to notices the entity has posted in previous years..
The alert says tourists in Dominican Republic are usually victims of holdups for their cellphones or sexual assaults. “The criminals can be dangerous and the visitors who walk the streets must always be alert in these environs.”
The warning also notes that some of the thugs “carry guns and are prepared to use them if they meet with resistance, adding that the police professionalism can vary.” Attempts by police to ask for bribes have been reported in the embassy in Santo Domingo, as well as agents who use excessive force.”
It lists new ways to steal from tourists in Dominican Republic, such as the use of speeding motorcycles to snatch purses, cellphones, necklaces, watches and other valuables.
Among others risks, the U.S. Government notes the chaotic and disorderly transit in Santo Domingo streets and highways and warns tourists that nobody uses directional lights when turning or to change lanes. It also recommends against the use of motoconchos (motorcycle taxis), because tourists have complained of thefts in the North region and other zones.
From: United States
Is the metro running yet?????
Written by: Jander, 17 Jun 2008 11:17 AM
From: Dominican Republic
This is old news and stats from the US state department.
Not sure what the motive is and I don't like it is safer here and tourists are not a target unless they are wandering off to places they don't belong.
Written by: buenoha, 17 Jun 2008 11:21 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo
Our police force should be reformed deeply!
Not everybody can be a police officer. All aspiring police officers should pass an assessment test to check their psychological and empathic capability to perform well in that job. Also there should be a better way to control and punish their ethics. The most important thing in all this, is that the wages get increased so that the job will attract better fit individuals and will also keep them from corrupt activities on the streets.
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
" Police professionalism may vary "......That gives new meaning to the word" understatement "
Written by: jtava, 17 Jun 2008 11:36 AM
From: United States
buenoha says a mouth full. How can you expect the police to do any sort of quality job when their pay is laughable. Pay these guys enough so they don't have to hustle from tourists and their own people.
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
that is part of the problem .....but pride has to be instilled in doing their the job and that takes more than cash ....but they should be able to feed their family....Much of their salaries are presently being paid to military personnel to wash the cars and cut the lawns of unnecessary generals in a mostly unnecessary army /airforce/navy
Written by: jtava, 17 Jun 2008 11:52 AM
From: United States
I think more cash would be a big motivation to do a good job. It is for me. Especially in DR. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think anyone likes to take handouts.
Written by: buenoha, 17 Jun 2008 11:52 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo
Goulet that is one point that you as a Haitian/foreigner should not talk of(I presume you are Haitian/foreigner because of your name, otherwise please ignore this comment). The DR has the second biggest army in the Caribbean (after Cuba) and should continue to further strengthen its army, marine and airforce. With a politically unstable neighbour on one island, the DR is under a possible unofficial threat that it should be able to match if challenged. So we need to continue to invest in our national defence.
Written by: jtava, 17 Jun 2008 11:54 AM
From: United States
Oh boy here we go again.
Written by: DMVR37, 17 Jun 2008 11:55 AM
From: United States
Why not start reforming the police force on the island? They ususally stop people on their way to beaches to "search" the vehicle, then if you don't have your passport or a cedula they tell you to get out of the car and that you are under arresst. It is only after you "give them a piece of your mind" and refuse to give them a tip do they let you go. It has happened to me every time I go back home. I may not look like the typical woman, according to them, but I get harrassed all the time.
What can you tell the tourists? Not to go off to look for prostitues or to go to a neighborhood or area, where they don't know the language or the lay of the land. That's just common sense.
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
buenoha sorry but I dont think those UN troops in Haiti are going to invade us....large military forces in latin America are usually to prop up Tin Pot dictators and are the first sign of non democratic history ie military coups or military juntas ...to say we need a large military to deal with Haitian illegal immigrants is not realistic ...We may need a good immigration police but not a military
From: United States
The Dom Rep does have some high speed units and troops in the military.
I would deploy with the commandos any day, anywhere.
The police has some high speed units and a top of the line Police Hospital now.
The object is to get all up to speed.
Good pay is central to making the police better overall.
Written by: JCjua, 17 Jun 2008 2:35 PM
From: United States, New York
This is a reality that needs to be addressed.
To make the point for this essue to go on the news is because DR "is" in the industry of tourism and doing good. Now, anyware you go the police will try to take as much as possible from you, not only DR, Mexico. In El Salvador people build gated communities and put gards in each corner. Meaning, the problem is not only for tourist, but DR citizens as well.
The only difference I have seen where police can be trusted is where the same is being policed, and most of all when the police gets paid well.
I would say we might be due for a property tax. if the community pays the taxes, they get good police. whenever things get out of hand with criminals get the armed forces in and clean up the place.
From: United States
Gringos can't take the heat or the water :0
From: United States
Although higher police pay may be the majority of the problem to attract & retain good cops it is NOT a cure-all. The are NYPD who get good pay but there is still widespread corruption.
There are issues such as training, ethics enforcement a real RD Internal Affairs needed to police the police whereas none of these exists effectively soo...it's not only a pay issue. When a good cop speak out & stands up against corruption ...then he gets killed like the one earlier this year (remember?). But if you're a good cop but see corruption goes unpunished then what incentive do you have NOT to get into the game to collect payoffs, bribes just like DNCD agents, RD politicians etc.
It is not just money but there are many other fundamental flaws of a broken judicial system.
Not all tourist want all-inclusives but some of us want a real Dominican experience and meet real people and have a traditional meal and meet a descent lady (not a prostitute).
The USSD only noted the "FACTS"
Written by: JCjua, 17 Jun 2008 4:09 PM
From: United States, New York
JD_Dominguez,
I will say this, the only time I was robbed by police (or I paid myself out of loosing time, which ever way you want to call it) he was afraid he could get cut by another officer.
There are ways to make it work. NYPD was mentioned. NYPD has problems, but the statistics for NYC look much better for the last 10 years. NYC police salaries are not that good. Now, they might be doing something good.
Written by: Belial, 17 Jun 2008 5:11 PM
From: United States, Texas
I'm 100% for professionalization of the police, not just with higher salaries but also with minimum educational requirements and cutting-edge forensic training.
Now, right here in Houston.
About 5000 cops have a pretty good chance of becoming millionaires after only 12 years of service if they gets only one or two petty promotions ... not by salary, but by pension benefits, if, of course, the stock and bond markets don't tank.
Of course, to do this, they can't take money out of their pensions.
A cop can do a million at a paltry 5% return in the value of his pension with a couple of promotions in only 12 years.
Unfortunately, stocks and bonds tank. So, things don't always work out as planned.
The police uses submissive city machinery to loot the citizenry. And the citizens love it.
I'm not too upset, after all, the cops are unionized workers; so, why shouldn't they get ahead, too.
Nobody snivels when the parasitic bourgeois ... who does nothing ... accumulates.
Written by: santanar, 17 Jun 2008 7:24 PM
From: United States
This is the same visitor advices for US tourist heading to; Rio de Janeiro, Rome, amomsgts many others in that category, quite sure there is a different warning for country like Irak, Iran, Venezuela, Somalia, etc .
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
thank you santanar all these people take it personal ...like they are being slandered
From: Dominican Republic, Punta Cana
This is nothing new. It is a common situation that a dominican will try to trick a foreigner just to get money.
Punta Cana is totally different than the North Coast. Here is pretty piecefull and only Politur (tourist police) is in charge.
Still, in the small Supermarkets (colmados) will try to charge you double, then Moto taxi will tried to charge you triple, then stuff in the Hotel will tell you not to go out of the hotels so you should spend the money in the hotel only, then again they will charge you triple for the goods that you can buy outside of the hotel.
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
no matter what ...it is bend over and spread your butt cheeks
Written by: Serpent, 18 Jun 2008 10:17 AM
From: Dominican Republic
D.R. is pretty much the same all over the country.Everybody falls victim to the crimes here,but because a few tourist get robbed now its a high risk vacaton.Then what happens to those of us who live here?.....instead of a metro.....maybe a little more investment in the police department....then things would appear more appetizing for the traveling many.So is there a sign posted in the airport saying "welcome to DR. a place of fun where you might get mugged,stabbed,choked,raped and extorted"......where is the law?
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
Believe me this does not excuse anything but crime is up all over the Caribbean we the DR should use extreme caution about losing our good reputation with professional travel writers and the press in general....this is the only category Cuba beats the DR hands down no doubt about it it is a much safer destination ....but at what cost to the citizens....In the DR enforcement and justice should be rapid and fair.....Many other islands ie Jamaica and the USVI are fighting bad reputations for violence and crime against tourists..... There is nothing sadder than empty hotels and no jobs ...use caution
From: United States
this is the odd occasion wherein i agree wholeheartedly with Goulet. why do Dominicans get so angered when these reports are made? the state department and the tour operators in the USA are bound by duty to divulge security concerns to prospective travellers. the traveller can refrain from travelling to that destination, or go there under the principle of ässumption of risk¨. as Goulet says, crime is up all over the caribbean. compared to lawless outbacks like Jamaica and USVI, the DR is relatively pacific. but that is small comfort to a kid whose dad has been shot to death on vacation for a cellphone. people, please stop feeling like the rest of the world is conspring against you because you are ¨doing great¨, as if it is some envy thing. if these issues are not addressed, soon you will not be doing great. this is the communication age, and word gets around fast. there is nothing worse than negative publicity for tourist destinations!
From: United States
Agreeing with Jader
These are old stats from 2005-2006 that the US state department used.
Tourists are not a target unless they are wandering off to places they don't belong. Furthermore the US embassy in the Dominican Republic said and confirmed that these where 2005-2006 stats.
Their could be other reasons of this recomendation to the US citizens. DR being the country who receives the most turist of the region about 3 million anually. DR labeled as the "THE SOUTH BEACH IN THE CARIBEAN"
Dominican Republic is a beatiful and safe place!!!
RECOMENDATIONS: VISIT SOME OF THESE WEBSITES/PLACES
capcana.com
casadecampo.com
Guavaberry Resort
From: United States
by the way,
the metro is running
From: United States
DREADLOCKS
THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD THINKING. AS YOU SAID COUTE "this is the communication age, and word gets around fast. there is nothing worse than negative publicity for tourist destinations!"
Dominicans and people who like the Dominican Republic should react to this negative information.
From: United States
the ink has not even dried on my post, yet Dominican1 raises the spectre of conspiracy against the DR. would someone please explain who these conspirators and co-conspirators might be, and what is their motive? actually, Tourists are killed in areas considered safe, on occasion, but we must also be careful when we use the word ¨tourist¨it is carelessly used as some omnibus word for anyone from foreign countries. some foreigners are not tourists in the conventional sense; they live here . some of them are wantonly robbed and killed, but bear in mind that some of them put themselves in harms way by ángering the locals to a point of making them homicidal. foreigners who knock guys off scooters and motorcycles, while they are drunk to the gills, do not foster a spirit of love and benevolence!
From: United States
I'm not saying their is a conspiracy. I'm refering to the negative information out there, that can harm anyone.
Conspiracy!, I don't rule it out!! The turist industry is very profitable.
AGAIN, THESE ARE PUBLICATIONS THAT THE US PROVIDES TO US, FOR US TO BE INFORMED, AND MAKE A WISE DECISION ON WHERE WE GO VACATIONING. (WRONG STATS, IN THIS CASE)
I can ask the same question: Is there any consipacy?
Not sure if you can read spanish, please read NEWS PAPER listindiario.com
From: United States
but Dominican1, what is to be gained by destroying the Dominican tourist industry? and to whom would this benefit accrue?
From: United States
Personally I don't know
But as big investers such as Donald Trump invest in the DR, there could be other INTERESTS from big names in that industry, that you and I don't know.
From: United States
do you mean interests who might be interested in devaluing Trump´s investment? interesting thought, i must confess. the only problem is that the gate swings both ways. Trump would only screw them somewhere down the road, and maybe with even less vaseline!!
From: United States
very good way to put it dreadlocks. Personally, I highly doubt there's a conspiracy against DR's tourism. If you ask me, the media does a good job hiding some crimes that happens in DR. Too much money is at stake by too many different parties. What i think Dominicans should worry about is putting extra money into social services and closing in the inequality gap. No matter what is said and done, if the inequality gap doesn't shrink soon. I really feel that crime will grow to the magnitude in which it will severely affect tourism.
From: Canada, Alberta
the dr is just as safe as the usa.......dont listen to yankee doodle dandy...there so full of shit.
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
The canuck who is the mirror image of yankee doodle dandy says they are full of it....well he should read what Canadian Gov says.... same ....".The only distinguishing characteristic of a Canadian is that he has no distinguishing characteristics "....".an unarmed American with a bad health plan " or just as safe as Toronto at Jane and Bloor .....Not for me to many west indians with machine guns
From: Canada, Alberta
i dont care what the canadian goverment says either i go to the dominican every year it just as safe as canada or the usa. you go to bad areas of any country you will find crime....who would have thought that
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
thanks for including Canada I am tired of cheap shots by Canadians against our neighbors....During the whole time I have lived in USA i never hear yankees putting down Canada....Only Canadas inferiority complex makes this the national sport of Canada ...But they are not alone in this bash the big guy complex Latinos got it down pretty good as well
From: United States
The gringos here in NYC are not dying to go on vacation to DR, even with all the Resorts listed in DR. The travel agencies here only focus on the small "english speaking" (no espanol please) caribbean islands (US & British territories only), Las Vegas, Hawaii, and burnt out, drug & party central "Can Cun", thats the mental limit for a typical gringo vacation.
DR is not a hot spot here in the US (from people I know), and I hope it stays that way for a long time. The more reserve a Resort is the better the enviroment, and the people.
Also the people on the beach in DR are not all gringos, they are Canadians & Europeans & 10% gringos if they belong to a Church group (they only travel in groups, wonder why?) visiting from the US.
From: United States
undercover, i guess from your post that gringo is synonymous with american. i am aware of the genesis of the term, but in the DR, in the colloquial sense, anyone who is not Dominican is a gringo! help me if you will, but are you asserting that affinity to the english speaking caribbean reflects mental limitations, or are you reserving that comment for Cancun only in this case?
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
only his own mental limitations.... he must live on Mars to know so little of tourism in the DR
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
Undercover if you dislike it so much in Gringolandia why dont you come home ? you probably will soon but wearing handcuffs
Written by: kokoloco, 22 Jun 2008 11:57 AM
From: Dominican Republic
this warning is nothing new, but is being made into something bigger that it is by the media both in DR and US. Sure there are elements of danger in DR (just like anywhere you go) and the government and police could and should do a better job. However this does not mean that every tourist coming to the country is going to be a victim. DR is one of the safest place to visit if you use caution and common sense. I'm dominican and have been living in NYC for the past 20 years. During that time I've been mug twice, my car has been vandalized more than i can remember and i've been in more than a few brawls. Does this mean NYC is unsafe? Obsolutely not. Trusting in the relative safety afforded to citizens of the US i've let my guard down and gotten myself into situation commun sense and a little caution would easily avoid. On the flipside in DR, a place which relatively speaking in less safe than NYC, i've never had any altercations. Why? Because there i've always used caution
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
this is true kokoloco particularly when visiting crack dens unarmed
From: United States
kokoloco, i concur with your notions, but in all my time in the big, bad apple, i have never been mugged, never got into a fight, and have only had my laptop stolen from my car once. my apartment has never been robbed, my gastank has never been siphoned, and my battery never stolen. i guess where you live and where you frequent has a large impact upon your outcomes.
Written by: kokoloco, 23 Jun 2008 12:43 PM
From: Dominican Republic
I'm not trying to put NYC down or anything like that. I love it here and outside DR I could not see myself ever living anywhere else. I was merely trying to set an example of how anyone can get into trouble anywhere, but that doesn't mean the place is bad. To be fair I must say most of those incidents happened to me a long time ago when I was a young nuckle head and when I lived in what was the then very, very bad Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
From: United States Virgin Islands, St Thomas C' Amalie hotel 1829 at the Bar
welcome to adulthood loco
Written by: Escott, 24 Jun 2008 4:59 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Sosua/Cabrera
I almost got raped by a woman here the other night. You will be happy to hear I fought her off though.
Thanks
From: United States
hey Escott, send her to me next time, thank you.
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Not sure what the motive is and I don't like it is safer here and tourists are not a target unless they are wandering off to places they don't belong.
Not everybody can be a police officer. All aspiring police officers should pass an assessment test to check their psychological and empathic capability to perform well in that job. Also there should be a better way to control and punish their ethics. The most important thing in all this, is that the wages get increased so that the job will attract better fit individuals and will also keep them from corrupt activities on the streets.
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
What can you tell the tourists? Not to go off to look for prostitues or to go to a neighborhood or area, where they don't know the language or the lay of the land. That's just common sense.
I would deploy with the commandos any day, anywhere.
The police has some high speed units and a top of the line Police Hospital now.
The object is to get all up to speed.
Good pay is central to making the police better overall.
To make the point for this essue to go on the news is because DR "is" in the industry of tourism and doing good. Now, anyware you go the police will try to take as much as possible from you, not only DR, Mexico. In El Salvador people build gated communities and put gards in each corner. Meaning, the problem is not only for tourist, but DR citizens as well.
The only difference I have seen where police can be trusted is where the same is being policed, and most of all when the police gets paid well.
I would say we might be due for a property tax. if the community pays the taxes, they get good police. whenever things get out of hand with criminals get the armed forces in and clean up the place.
There are issues such as training, ethics enforcement a real RD Internal Affairs needed to police the police whereas none of these exists effectively soo...it's not only a pay issue. When a good cop speak out & stands up against corruption ...then he gets killed like the one earlier this year (remember?). But if you're a good cop but see corruption goes unpunished then what incentive do you have NOT to get into the game to collect payoffs, bribes just like DNCD agents, RD politicians etc.
It is not just money but there are many other fundamental flaws of a broken judicial system.
Not all tourist want all-inclusives but some of us want a real Dominican experience and meet real people and have a traditional meal and meet a descent lady (not a prostitute).
The USSD only noted the "FACTS"
I will say this, the only time I was robbed by police (or I paid myself out of loosing time, which ever way you want to call it) he was afraid he could get cut by another officer.
There are ways to make it work. NYPD was mentioned. NYPD has problems, but the statistics for NYC look much better for the last 10 years. NYC police salaries are not that good. Now, they might be doing something good.
Now, right here in Houston.
About 5000 cops have a pretty good chance of becoming millionaires after only 12 years of service if they gets only one or two petty promotions ... not by salary, but by pension benefits, if, of course, the stock and bond markets don't tank.
Of course, to do this, they can't take money out of their pensions.
A cop can do a million at a paltry 5% return in the value of his pension with a couple of promotions in only 12 years.
Unfortunately, stocks and bonds tank. So, things don't always work out as planned.
The police uses submissive city machinery to loot the citizenry. And the citizens love it.
I'm not too upset, after all, the cops are unionized workers; so, why shouldn't they get ahead, too.
Nobody snivels when the parasitic bourgeois ... who does nothing ... accumulates.
Punta Cana is totally different than the North Coast. Here is pretty piecefull and only Politur (tourist police) is in charge.
Still, in the small Supermarkets (colmados) will try to charge you double, then Moto taxi will tried to charge you triple, then stuff in the Hotel will tell you not to go out of the hotels so you should spend the money in the hotel only, then again they will charge you triple for the goods that you can buy outside of the hotel.
These are old stats from 2005-2006 that the US state department used.
Tourists are not a target unless they are wandering off to places they don't belong. Furthermore the US embassy in the Dominican Republic said and confirmed that these where 2005-2006 stats.
Their could be other reasons of this recomendation to the US citizens. DR being the country who receives the most turist of the region about 3 million anually. DR labeled as the "THE SOUTH BEACH IN THE CARIBEAN"
Dominican Republic is a beatiful and safe place!!!
RECOMENDATIONS: VISIT SOME OF THESE WEBSITES/PLACES
capcana.com
casadecampo.com
Guavaberry Resort
the metro is running
THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD THINKING. AS YOU SAID COUTE "this is the communication age, and word gets around fast. there is nothing worse than negative publicity for tourist destinations!"
Dominicans and people who like the Dominican Republic should react to this negative information.
Conspiracy!, I don't rule it out!! The turist industry is very profitable.
AGAIN, THESE ARE PUBLICATIONS THAT THE US PROVIDES TO US, FOR US TO BE INFORMED, AND MAKE A WISE DECISION ON WHERE WE GO VACATIONING. (WRONG STATS, IN THIS CASE)
I can ask the same question: Is there any consipacy?
Not sure if you can read spanish, please read NEWS PAPER listindiario.com
But as big investers such as Donald Trump invest in the DR, there could be other INTERESTS from big names in that industry, that you and I don't know.
DR is not a hot spot here in the US (from people I know), and I hope it stays that way for a long time. The more reserve a Resort is the better the enviroment, and the people.
Also the people on the beach in DR are not all gringos, they are Canadians & Europeans & 10% gringos if they belong to a Church group (they only travel in groups, wonder why?) visiting from the US.
Thanks