DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Tackling Caribbean organized crime

Located at a crossroads between the American continent, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the Dominican Republic sits on a trafficking corridor linking a drug-producing region with the world’s drug-consuming markets.  

The international characteristics of drug-related crime – such as firearms, people trafficking and money laundering - make the role of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in the region crucial to safeguarding national and regional security.

INTERPOL in the Dominican Republic

NCB Santo Domingo serves as the Dominican Republic’s operational platform for sharing police data on regional organized crime, particularly as it relates to wanted people, stolen identity documents, trends in organized crime and members of crime groups.

The 40 officers who work for the NCB are posted either to the police headquarters in Santo Domingo, or to the provinces where they have a more operational role, taking part in investigations and operations.

Immigration officers on Santo Domingo borders have access to INTERPOL databases so they can detect if a traveler is a potential criminal.

National police services

Law enforcement services in the Dominican Republic are provided by the Policia Nacional Dominicana (national police).  

With a strength of 32,000 officers for a population of almost nine million, the force is part of the Ministry of Interior and Police.