318 fugitives voluntarily surrendered to Dominican National Police in recent months
More than 300 people wanted for crimes including homicide, robbery and assault presented themselves voluntarily to Dominican authorities. The trend grew week by week between August and October.
Voluntary surrenders accelerate in Dominican Republic: 318 fugitives in three months
A total of 318 people sought by Dominican justice presented themselves voluntarily to the National Police during the period between August and 21 October, according to official data reported by infobae.com. Among the crimes that motivated the arrest warrants were homicides, robberies, assaults, aggression and sexual offences.
Police spokesman Diego Pesqueira presented the report and specified that the surrenders occurred within the framework of capture operations and public calls directed at people with pending arrest warrants.
Figures by week and by type of crime
The upward trend was constant. Between 17 and 31 August, 31 presentations were recorded. In September the figure rose to 122, and between 1 and 21 October a further 165 people came to police facilities.
Robberies and assaults accounted for the largest portion of cases: 76 people, equivalent to 23.9% of the total. Assaults and acts of violence occupied second place, with 38 wanted individuals, 11.9% of the total. Another 21 fugitives faced charges related to stolen vehicles, 14 for sexual offences and 45 more for infractions of various kinds.
The institution confirmed that homicide was among the crimes recorded, but did not specify how many of the 318 cases corresponded exclusively to that charge. Previously, the authorities had reported on the surrender of four men wanted for homicides that occurred in different provinces of the country.
Calls from the Presidency and Police
The director of the National Police, Ernesto Rodríguez García, had publicly urged fugitives to present themselves to the authorities. President Luis Abinader also made a call in that regard.
The surrenders took place in parallel with a reinforcement of localisation and capture efforts, as well as greater coordination between the Police and the Public Ministry.
Pesqueira clarified the procedure: a person with an arrest warrant can go to any police station in the country, either alone or accompanied by family members, lawyers, communicators or religious representatives. The Police do not require the surrender of firearms as a condition of reception, although it warned that in homicide cases the absence of the weapon allegedly used can hinder investigations.
Once presented, the person is placed at the disposal of judicial procedures coordinated between the National Police and the Public Ministry.
Context: more than 53,000 pending warrants
In early October, the National Police reported that there were 53,887 active arrest warrants in the Dominican Republic. The institution clarified that that number does not necessarily correspond to the same number of people sought, given that the same individual can accumulate more than one judicial order.
The 318 voluntary surrenders represent a fraction of the universe of people required, but the authorities highlight them as a result of the hardening of police actions and the campaigns for voluntary presentation promoted in recent months.
Source: Google News DO — Crime