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NewsWhore
03-24-2011, 04:50 PM
The Police have reports of 39 kidnappings in 2010. As reported in Listin Diario, two kidnappings per month on average have been reported over the past two years and three months. A total of 69 cases were reported between January 2009 and January 2011. In the first three months of 2011 there were five cases. In 2009, there were 25 cases, 15 fewer than in 2010, according to statistics from the Police Criminal Investigations Department (Dicrim). The newspaper makes the point that the statistics only show the cases in which the Police was involved. If the family negotiates directly with the kidnappers, there is no record. Dicrim deputy director Colonel Jose Antonio Ceballos says this mostly applies to cases involving people with ties to drug trafficking. Ransom demands range from US$45,000 to US$95,000 on average, according to the report.

Ceballos said the most difficult cases are those carried out by subversive groups that kidnap a businessman and that can take a lot of time, from 15 days to a month, he said.

The main motives are economic or collecting drug trafficking debts, he added.

Most of the kidnappings occur in Greater Santo Domingo and the northern provinces, and most victims are Dominicans.

Generally the kidnappers have criminal records. In cases involving children, abductions are often planned by one of the parents when they are separated, or as a way of exerting pressure and threats when one of them wants a divorce.

For the Police to intervene in a kidnapping it says relatives should present a formal complaint, so they have a legal basis for action. The Police will check to ensure the person has not been arrested. If there is a ransom demand they proceed immediately and the case will be handled by the corresponding prosecutor office. Intelligence agencies are notified on a nationwide level and the search begins.

Ceballos advised people on how to act in a case of kidnapping to protect the life of the victim and help efforts to solve the case.

First, the relatives need to stay calm and there should not be insults. The family needs to report that it is willing to pay the money requested for the ransom. The kidnap victim also needs to remain calm. Relatives are advised to keep open communication with the kidnappers to give enough time to locate the place where the victim is being held. The priority is to protect the life of the victim.

www.listin.com.do/la-republica/2011/3/24/182180/Secuestros-quitan-paz-a-familias (http://www.listin.com.do/la-republica/2011/3/24/182180/Secuestros-quitan-paz-a-familias)

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