Santo Domingo. – Before the weaknesses that still faces the public transport systemhave a vehicle It has gone from being a luxury to a need for a good part of the population, especially for those who reside in Santo Domingo and Santiago.
Both demarcations are an important Economic bastion of the Dominican Republic, for being a development pillar for the country. In addition, they are characterized by having broad Employment sourcesa robust education system and a dynamic social life that mobilizes thousands of people daily.
As a consequence, many of its residents choose to acquire own vehicles To move without setbacks. It is a decision that offers great advantages In terms of mobility, although it also implies additional expenseslike him fuel consumption and maintenance.
However, having a vehicle can also represent a Risk for driverS, not only because of the increase in the probability of accidents, which, for the most part, are the product of disrespect for traffic laws, but also for the constant stalking of criminals They seek to subtract these means of transport.
This is demonstrated by official data, which highlight that In 2024 almost 6 thousand complaints were reported for vehicle robberies in the Dominican Republicbeing Santo Domingo and Santiago the most affected provinces.
According to the National Statistics Office (ONE)last year they registered 5,950 demands of this nature, which represented a 55.3 % increase compared to 2020, when 3,833 cases were counted.
This was the higher figure in the last five yearssince in 2021 3,455 were reported; in 2022 4,109; and in 2023 3,329. According to the ONE, the annual average of theft of this period was 4,135 vehicles.
The report revealed that the province Santo Domingo Headed the cases with 1,959 complaints (32.92%), and secondly it remained Santiago with 912 (15.33 %). Meanwhile, the National District reached 758 (12.74 %), The Roman 492 (8.27 %) and Altagracia 472 (7.93 %).
While by regions, the largest number of reports per vehicle robberies concentrated on the Ozama region (45.66 %), followed by Cibao Norte (18.13 %) and Yuma (16.24 %), jointly representing more than 80 % of cases.
In contrast, the lower percentages were recorded in Northwest Cibao (0.57 %), Enriquillo (0.66 %) and The valley (0.79 %), a disparity that the authorities consider key to the creation of projects that aim to correct the Crimes linked to vehicle theft.
More stolen vehicles
According to the National Statistics Office, the Motorcycles and cyclomotor (Passolas) They were the vehicles with the highest record of complaints for theft in 2024, totaling 5,371, which represented an increase of 87.73 % in relation to 2023, when 2,861 cases were reported.
Second are the cars With 391 reports, an increase of 16.72 % compared to the previous year, which registered 335.
Meanwhile, the Yipetas or Yip They occupied the third position with 88 complaints for theft, compared to 41 of 2023, which meant an increase of 114.63 %.
Finally, among the most stolen vehicles are the Buseswith 10 cases per robbery in 2024, an increase of 150 % compared to 2023, when 4 were barely reported.
Regularity of the complaint
In its report, the National Statistics Office also explained that in 2024, the Complaints
of vehicle thefts in the country They concentrated mainly on Fridays (15.14%), followed by Saturdays (14.96%) and Monday (14.76%).
Regularly, they also stand out on Wednesdays (14.39%) and Thursday (13.92%), while Tuesday (13.56%) and Sundays (13.28%), registered the lower incidence.
Throughout the year there were More than 400 monthly complaintsbut AugustJuly, May and November they totaled the greater amount with 588 (9.88%), 508 (8.54%), 507 (8.52%) and 504 (8.47%), respectively.
