My contention has and always will be that as long as Cabarete and Sosua promote sex tourism there can not be a solution to the problem of crime.
I've also suggested openly on the board that if the expat community is that concerned about crime then they need to a) hire their own police force or b) pay the police more than the drug lords. Of course everyone will say that they'll just take the money and still do nothing. I say, how do you know if you haven't tried.
I made a point of getting to know the chief of the national police shortly after I arrived. I took him and his wife out to dinner and now have his personal cell phone number just in case. I'm not paying him, but I did let him know that if there was anything I could do for him to just give me a call.
When I decided to move here I understood that I was moving to a developing nation. I took in to account that no matter how modest I believe my income to be I will be perceived as the rich american and a target. I also took as many precautions as I possibly could to insure my families security.
The reality though is that I still feel safer here than I did in america. Why? Probably because there is actually less crime here than there is in Phoenix, Arizona. There certainly are less murders and I would imagine less home invasions as well.
I still hold to the 'sky is falling' mentality of the board. My experience over the last year (the time I've been active on this board) is that no one steps up and does anything. They love to type about how ****ed up things are but action, well that's someone elses job.
This little island is like the wild american west of the 1880's, either you have to have the balls to make it your home or you need to move back east........ me I'm staying no matter what, I love it here!
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