Dominican National Police “mutinies” are now frequent

Santo Domingo.- The “mutinies” in the National Police have gone from inexistent to practically commonplace in the past two years, and at least three cases which the authorities have sought to downplay in less than one year.

In addition to the insubordination in San Francisco (northeast) in 2012 when dozens of agents dared to "breakout" of a courthouse jail of an agent facing trial, the latest cases, at least publicly, haven’t led to harsh penalties, as in the past, when insurrections in uniform were punished with the immediate firing. Some agents were even subjected to the removal of their uniform publicly, akin to the “branding” of cowards in the U.S. military of the 1800s.

Last Thursday’s "mutiny" at Police headquarters, right in front of chief Manuel Castro’s office, was the result of at least 30 agents disgruntled because they weren’t on the list of promotions announced February 27, is the latest episode.

But Castro yesterday said it was only one agent who dared to question superiors, for which he would be punished.

A major crisis occurred January 20 in Dajabon (northwest), when at least 73 agents refused to be transferred from their posts, amid allegations of irregularities attributed to a major identified as Félix Aquino had crossed the border to Haiti.

The agents whose names were never disclosed, except Aquino’s, who was transferred to Santo Domingo under arrest,threatened to hand in their service weapons and badges, in addition to refusing to board the bus to take them to their new posts in Mao and the Northwest.

Outlet elcaribe.com.do reports that at least three captains were among the “mutineers” in Dajabon.