Residents of Villa Mella are requesting increased police surveillance and patrols.

Santo Domingo — Residents of several sectors of Villa Mella complain that at night they perceive little police presence, which has led to an increase in crime in the municipality of Santo Domingo Norte.

During a tour, it was observed that some grocery stores in the area had closed their counters with iron bars, leaving small openings to handle merchandise and thus avoid being robbed.

Luis, a resident who was in front of his business, said that when he lived on Jacobo Majluta Street, unscrupulous people entered his home, robbing him of appliances and cash.

“They broke into my house twice when I lived in Jacobo; they broke in and stole many things, including appliances and money. I didn’t know how I was going to protect my things anymore, and it was a horrible feeling of insecurity. Still, even where I live now (in Guaricano), they’ve tried to rob me,” he said, asking the National Police to improve patrol services.

Another person who said he couldn’t stand the insecurity in the municipality was Miguel Ángel, who said that at night, he is afraid to walk the streets near his residence for fear of being assaulted and robbed of his belongings, because he only sees the police patrol pass by rarely”in the area.

“They don’t come at night, and that’s when they should be coming; you can’t walk anywhere in Villa Mella, we are without security, the police forget to patrol, and we are exposed to criminals doing whatever they want to us,” he explained, clearly annoyed by the insecurity.

During the tour, several police patrols were observed stopping motorcycle riders. In contrast, citizens requested the same action at night, saying that these patrols pass by “two or three times,” leaving them exposed to crime.

“You can’t even stand in front of your house because the thugs will easily mug you while you’re out getting some fresh air; nobody can stand it anymore, things get worse every day, and nobody does anything to make it better. Just promises of change, but the change is nowhere to be seen,” said Juan de la Cruz.

Some of the city officials attribute the crime to the rampant consumption of prohibited substances, describing it as the main cause of the lack of control in society and among young people who engage in criminal acts.