The Minister of the Interior and Police, Jesús Vásquez Martínez (Chú), proposed today the signing of a national pact for peace, education and the improvement of coexistence, in order to be able to more successfully face the challenges in terms of citizen security.
When presenting his memoirs (2020-2024) in the presence of President Luis Abinader, the official understands that not only citizens, but also political parties, churches, businessmen and civil society must participate in it.
“The idea of this great national agreement is that together, we all put the interests of the country above all else,” said the Minister of the Interior during the event in the Police Auditorium.
During his participation, Vásquez highlighted the results of his administration, where he has supposedly managed to reduce the homicide rate from 13.16 in 2022 to 11.48 in 2023 and to 9.87 homicides per 100 thousand inhabitants until the month of July of this year, a process that has been achieved through operations of the joint task force at the national level.
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Regarding the police reform being implemented by the Government, it praised the progress made in the direction, which includes the process of dignifying police work through salary improvements and the granting of benefits and facilities for each member of the police force.
In this regard, Vásquez Martínez stated that the police officers (with lower salaries) who in August 2020 earned RD$10,150 per month, three years later began to earn RD$29,026 per month, an amount higher than the 500 dollars promised by the Government at the beginning of the administration.
“Currently, police officers in the Dominican Republic have various benefits. They have a maximum health insurance from the National Health Service (SENASA), at the same level as senior officials in the Ministry of Interior and Police; They have free transportation on the Metropolitan Office of Bus Services (OMSA), the Metro and the Cable Car; access to student scholarships for police officers and their children; continuing education programs and family loans to cover personal needs,” he stressed.
The official said that the agents also have life insurance and housing plans, after pointing out that their working conditions have improved with the construction of 106 new detachments, adaptation of spaces and the restructuring of the police education system, where he says that around 4,480 enlisted officers have been trained.
“This year, 3,200 new agents are being trained. The goal is that, by the end of the current administration, 20,000 new officers will be integrated into the police force,” he said.
Regarding the fire departments, the minister recalled that when Abinader took office, the allocation of many of these structures was RD$60 thousand pesos per year, but that currently, through the Interior and Police budget, all fire departments receive a minimum allocation of RD$500,000.
Weapons
Vásquez Martínez highlighted the plan for the voluntary surrender of firearms and ammunition, which was initially valid for 180 days. The event was attended by the Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos, and the Director of the Police, Major General Ramón Antonio Guzmán Peralta.
