Dominican Republic homicide rate below regional average, expert says

Santo Domingo.- Santiago Rosas, representative of the Security Innovation Laboratory LAB-CO, said the Dominican Republic maintains a strong position in the Caribbean with a homicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure below the regional average. Speaking during the lecture “Regional Trends in Organized Crime in the Caribbean” at the First International Symposium on Criminal Investigation, Rosas noted that this relative stability is a strategic advantage for sectors such as investment and tourism.

Despite the positive indicators, Rosas warned that security conditions could change quickly due to the expansion of transnational organized crime in the region. He pointed to the example of Ecuador, where criminal groups rapidly increased their influence after gaining control of key logistical points connected to drug trafficking routes.

The expert explained that the Caribbean is no longer only a transit corridor to the United States but has also become a transatlantic hub for routes toward Europe, placing the Dominican Republic in a strategic position along maritime networks used by criminal organizations. He added that modern organized crime increasingly operates through flexible networks rather than traditional hierarchies, relying on low-profile “criminal managers” who coordinate logistical, financial, and technological operations.

Rosas also highlighted growing challenges for governments as criminal groups adopt advanced tools such as cryptocurrencies, blockchain systems, and artificial intelligence to facilitate illicit activities. To address these threats, he recommended strengthening asset investigations, improving criminal network analysis, and enhancing institutional cooperation to better detect and disrupt illegal flows across the region.