The Minister of the Interior and PoliceJesús Antonio Vásquez (Chu), described the AmericasBarometer report as positive, which assures that the Dominican Republic has improved on the issue of security citizen in the year 2021.
The survey that annually measures various aspects of the countries of the Americas and compared to the 2019 report, shows a slight improvement.
“What the report says is that one in five citizens suffered acts of violence, however, compared to the previous year (2019) prior to the pandemic, it establishes that one in four, which means that there has been a considerable improvement, and that improvement you can perceive here in Santiago and anywhere in the country,” the official said.
However, he said he was aware of the great work involved in reducing the levels of violence and crime throughout the country. He assured that it is not an easy matter to resolve overnight, and that is why he is working on the design of a strategy from the government in the reform to the National Police.
He considered that, to the extent that progress is made in the training and technification of police officers, there will also be improvements in the aspect of security. For this year, he expects those changes in favor of citizenship to begin to materialize.
The AmericasBarometer is a survey conducted by the LAPOP Lab of Vanderbilt University under the auspices of the United States Government through its Agency for International Development (USAID). In its publication this year, it reflects that almost one in five Dominicans (19%) said they had been the victim of at least one crime in 2021.
This is a decrease from 2019, when approximately one in four (26%) people reported being the victim of a crime. The report also indicates that the perception of insecurity decreased markedly since the previous measurement: from 63% in 2019 to 48% of Dominicans who in 2021 feel “very” or “somewhat” insecure in the place where they live.
Chu Vázquez spoke with the media in Santiago by participating in a reforestation day in the outskirts of the Ulises Francisco Espaillat agricultural irrigation canal, located in the Cienfuegos sector, west of the city.
In total, some 964 tree plants of different species were planted, which produce seeds and food for migratory birds.
Vásquez was together with representatives of other institutions of this city such as: The Provincial Government, the Civil Defense, the Ministry of the Environment, Public Health, among others.
