Servio Tulio Castaños Guzmán links police action to State policies
The executive vice president of the Institutionalism and Justice Foundation (FINJUS), Servio Tulio Castaños Guzmán, has brought to the table a crucial debate regarding the methods employed by the National Police to combat crime in the Dominican Republic. According to the jurist, the actions executed by law enforcement agents should not be seen solely as isolated decisions of the institution, but as part of a broader strategy dictated by the State.
Many times the Police are accused of using certain methods, but often those are policies that go beyond what police actions are.
Servio Tulio Castaños Guzmán
Castaños Guzmán emphasized that, although the National Police is the agency in charge of tactical execution on the streets, the ultimate responsibility for the approach toward criminal structures lies with state policies. These statements arise in a context marked by the increase in confrontations between alleged criminals and law enforcement, events that have raised various questions in civil society regarding the respect for fundamental rights.
A comprehensive approach to violence
The expert on judicial matters stressed that the phenomenon of insecurity in the country is complex and cannot be reduced solely to police action. In his view, there is an underlying social conflict that requires a comprehensive response from the authorities.
- The need to analyze violence from a human rights perspective.
- The recognition that the State faces highly complex criminal structures.
- The call for a national dialogue to define effective measures against the wave of violence.
Finally, Castaños Guzmán urged the Dominican authorities to delve deeper into the analysis of the causes of violence, warning that, without a strategy that encompasses the social fabric and not just a repressive response, it will be difficult to mitigate the levels of crime that currently affect the population.
