President Luis Abinader has launched the second phase of a new community policing model in La Altagracia, the south-eastern province that includes Punta Cana, Bavaro and the growing tourist corridor along the country's eastern coast. The rollout puts more uniformed officers on foot and motorcycle patrols in the areas where visitors and locals actually mix — beaches, commercial strips and residential neighbourhoods — rather than keeping police boxed inside stations.
The idea behind the model is a shift from reactive policing to visible, preventive presence. Officers are assigned to specific zones so they get to know the businesses, hotel staff and residents on their patch, and the programme has been extended province-wide after an earlier trial phase. For a country that welcomes well over ten million visitors a year, the majority of them heading straight for the Punta Cana area, safety perception matters as much as safety itself.
Why should a holidaymaker care? La Altagracia is the single most visited corner of the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana International Airport is the country's busiest gateway, and the resort strip stretching from Cap Cana through Bavaro to Uvero Alto accounts for a huge share of the nation's hotel rooms. Most stays are trouble-free, but like any major resort zone there are occasional incidents involving tourists — petty theft, scooter rentals gone wrong, disputes over excursions. A permanent, better-organised patrol presence is designed to cut those risks and speed up response when something does happen.
It also fits a broader push by the Abinader government to bolster confidence in the destination, alongside the tourist police (Politur) units that already operate in resort areas and the 911 emergency system covering the main cities. Travellers shouldn't expect a visible transformation overnight — policing reforms take time to show results — but the direction of travel is clear: more officers, closer to where visitors actually are.
For anyone weighing up the Dominican Republic against other Caribbean options, this is a modest but genuine plus. The practical advice stays the same as it ever was: use hotel safes, keep valuables out of sight off the resort, book excursions through licensed operators, and dial 911 for emergencies. If you're heading beyond the resort bubble — to Higüey's Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, the inland town at the heart of the province, or to less-visited beaches like Playa Blanca — the extended patrol coverage should make those detours feel more comfortable too.
