CRIME IN ENSANCHE DUARTE

BY ROSALINA MENA

                Crime is a problem that humanity has fought against for long time. There has always been crime, but nowadays it is affecting people more than ever. We can notice that some people kill their neighbor because of jealousy, revenge, to steal them or even for nonsense. We see this in the news frequently. The Bible also says that in these times, love would be scarce. As a consequence, we can notice that people are selfish and that the human mind thinks appalling things to harm others.

         Because of lack of employment, assaults are very common and a serious problem in Ensanche Duarte. People kill or harm other people to take their valuable possessions away. Because of this, people are afraid of going out. They do not know who is watching to attack them. Nobody around my community goes out with a purse, a necklace, a ring on. It is dangerous. For this reason, many neighbors have taken precautions when it is about safety. Some of them have installed security cameras, others have hired security people and some houses look as if they were jails. People do not go out alone, they go out in groups to avoid being assaulted. This situation has made people to lack confidence in one another. People are terrified.

         Businesses are being affected by this problem. Raiders go over businesses to take their owners what have been earned during the day. We hear all kind of cases in the radio, the news, through the Internet. It is our daily bread. As a result, cafeterias, grocery stores, hardware stores and other businesses close their doors at an early time to avoid being assaulted. Also, businesses have installed security cameras and put protective bars. They take a lot of precautions in order to protect what they value. Some merchants have died because of defending their money. For example, a neighbor who owned a grocery store was shot four times to death. It was awful. They complaint to the Police Department, but there is no answer. This is why the neighbors want to take the justice on their own hands because many times police does not pay attention to anybody. This has made people see that they are unprotected.

         The Department of Public Relations of the National Police is full of complaints about crime. The inhabitants of Ensanche Duarte asked to the Commander in Chief to have a hard hand with criminals that attempts against our security and peace. People expect the police to do a deeper and more effective work and take more drastic measures with the problem. The police often do not do what they have to do. Therefore, there is more crime. Many policemen are part of the crime, too. When they accept bribes from criminals that wants to go out of jail easily. The police accept the bribes because while a civil servant earns big amounts of money, a police officer earns less than $8,000.00. Now imagine that a police officer has to pay rent, water, cable and electricity service. Certainly, this is not enough money. Also, people has lost confidence in the police because the bad guys are in the streets harming them and they have the way to stop it but they do nothing.

         It is very sad that many people do not care about what happens to others. There is a lack of love to others, there is a lot of hate. Some people have a price and others do not mind harming others. There is such a lack of values and morality. The Bible predicted these times. It says they would be difficult and hard times. It also says that the people would be lovers of money, that people would not have natural affection and that children would lack respect for their parents. We can see that sons kill their parents their drugs and alcohol vices. However, one day a new world will come and all these problems will disappear.

San Francisco de Macorís, 2012