Santo Domingo.-After the latest acts of violence recorded in Villa MellaSanto Domingo Norte, where three people died as a result of a shootout between groups, the Dominican Government announced the intervention of that municipality, neighboring the capital, with the My safe country plan, through which police and military patrols are intensified in order to to mitigate criminal acts in the area.
The announcement was made by the Minister of the Interior and Police, Jesus (Chu) Vasquez Martinezat the end of a work session of more than four hours, of the Local Table of Security, Citizenship and Gender of Santo Domingo Norte.
Among the main measures included in the aforementioned intervention is the strengthening of police patrols, the equipping with new units of vehicles, weapons and other supplies necessary to combat crime, as well as the problems of coexistence that have been registered in the last days in Santo Domingo Norte, according to a statement from the Interior.
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Vásquez Martínez assured that the authorities are working to bring the highest levels of citizen security, which is why it has been decided to urgently include the municipality of Santo Domingo Norte within the “My Safe Country” strategy.
The official regretted the recent events in Villa Mella and guaranteed that efforts are directed to give a forceful response to the case.
The day before, Minister Vázquez Martínez said that he was not the person who should be responsible for the acts of violence that occurred in Villa Mella, assuring that he “was not the general of the Police”, that the ministry was only in charge of designing the policy of citizen security, but that the Police are in charge of executing it.
The meeting
The director of the National Police, Eduardo Alberto Then; the president of the National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD), Vice Admiral José Manuel Cabrera Ulloa; the governor of the Santo Domingo province, Altagracia Julia Drullard, and the mayor of Santo Domingo Norte, Carlos Guzmán.
In addition, senator Antonio Taveras, deputies Alex Lara and Betty Gerónimo, prosecutor Milcíades Guzmán, as well as the deputy ministers of the Interior and Police Aníbal Amparo, Ángela Jáquez, Jesús Féliz, and the commissioner for Police Reform, José – Pepe-Vila among other authorities.
The community was represented by the president of the Association of Provision Wholesalers, Andrés Cosma, and the general secretary, Julián Pérez, the president of the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Villa Mella, Miguel Castro, by the NGOs, Eugenio Sánchez, among other community leaders.
