Senator proposes specialized police force for missing persons

Santo Domingo.- Senator Aracelis Villanueva of San Pedro de Macorís has introduced a bill to amend Article 38 of Organic Law No. 590-16, proposing the creation of a Specialized Police Force for the Search and Rescue of Missing and Kidnapped Persons. She highlighted that the National Police’s Missing Persons Department lacks the personnel and resources needed to effectively handle such cases in the Dominican Republic.

The proposed unit would operate under the Central Directorate of Criminal Investigation (Dicrim) and be equipped with trained personnel and resources to address these investigations more efficiently. Villanueva cited data from the Public Ministry, which recorded 139 unresolved kidnappings between 2014 and 2021, while the National Police reported 652 missing persons cases from 2017 to 2021, with 160 occurring in 2021 alone.

This initiative aims to strengthen the National Police’s structure and improve response times for affected families, ensuring a more effective and dedicated approach to handling missing and kidnapped persons cases.