Santo Domingo.-The sending by the president Louis Abinader the rest military to patrol the streets of the country, is nothing more than clear evidence of the growing deterioration and the inability that the National Police (PN) has exhibited to carry out its primary task: to ensure citizen security and public order.
Although the amount was not specified, as of this Thursday the ruler ordered that the military that were necessary will join all the members of the Police to reinforce their efforts against crime.
“Starting today in this joint operation we are going to use all the members of the Police and those who are necessary from the Armed Forces to achieve that peace,” Abinader explained during an act this Thursday at the Police headquarters where part of the report was presented. of police and military agents.
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The use of the military in joint tasks with the Police is a practice that several governments of the Dominican Republic have been using, given the inability of the Police to give correct responses against crime and criminal acts.
The Dominican Constitution establishes in article 152 what the functions of the Armed Forces are and in what situations the head of state can make use of them.
Article 252.- Mission and character of the Armed Forces. The defense of the Nation is in charge of the Armed Forces. Therefore:
1) Its mission is to defend the independence and sovereignty of the Nation, the integrity of its geographical spaces, the Constitution and the institutions of the Republic.
2) They may also intervene when so ordered by the President of the Republic in programs aimed at promoting the social and economic development of the country, mitigating disaster situations and public calamity, assist the National Police to maintain or restore public order in exceptional cases.
However, this exception in the Dominican Republic has become customary, since all governments use the military to assist the Police.
Wave of robberies, assaults and crimes
Robberies, assaults and citizen insecurity have been felt in a settled way in recent weeks.
One of the most notorious cases happened on May 21 when an armed gang arrived at a gas station in the Los Mameyes sector in the capital’s Santo Domingo Este municipality, and loaded RD$9.5 million from a truck of securities belonging to the Dominican Watchman company that made its place route in that station.
Last week, another armed gang made up of three men charged 3.9 million pesos, the product of an assault on Banco Popular employees while they were repairing an ATM at a gas station located on the Sánchez highway in the municipality of Haina, San Cristobal.
In addition to these facts, it is worth mentioning the murder of several police and military officers, as well as shooting confrontations where nearly 10 people have died in the month of May alone.
Last Tuesday, the Police killed the ringleader and three members of a gang of robbers during a strong confrontation in the La Ciénaga sector of the capital, a fact applauded by many and criticized by others.
It is in this situation that President Abinader is forced to order the sending of more soldiers to patrol work in conjunction with the Police, an entity that has not been able to mitigate these events.
The president warned that “the first responsibility of a head of state is to bring peace and tranquility to the population and that there is no doubt that I am aware of that and that we will do it.”
In this sense, he said that they are going to “bring tranquility to all sectors of our country, to our neighborhoods, to our fields and we are going to do it no matter what it costs us.”
Article 255 of the Constitution states that the mission of the Police is:
1) Safeguard citizen security; 2) Prevent and control crimes; 3) Pursue and investigate criminal offenses, under the legal direction of the competent authority; 4) Maintain public order to protect the free exercise of people’s rights and peaceful coexistence in accordance with the Constitution and the laws.
A year ago, the Government embarked on a police reform, in order to transform the institution into an efficient, transparent, less abusive body that respects human rights, is more professional, has technological equipment, etc., but it is advancing in small steps slow.
