POLITUR - Policía de Turismo - Dominican Tourism Police

posted on: Aug 15 2009 15:22 by The Reporter. Viewed 786 times.


POLITUR are the Policía de Turismo (or Policía Turística), commonly called the ‘Tourism Police’ in the Dominican Republic. The Politur patrol the tourist areas and towns, and you will see them at airports, on the beaches, in tourist resorts such as Playa Dorada and in tourist trowns such Cabarete and Sosua.
Their main function is to protect tourists and keep the tourist areas safe. Tourists would include not just foreigners flying in on vacation, but also domestic tourists (i.e. Dominicans) as well.
Politur have their own uniform identifying them as distinct from the National Police and the Traffic Police.
Officially the uniform is a white shirt, blue trousers (pants) and a cap, black shoes and a black belt. The official shield logo of the Politur will be shown on the clothing as will as the word ‘Politur’.
If you witness or are the victim of a crime in a tourist area, most likely the Politur are the ones you should contact first. They are generally pretty approachable and (in our experience) answer their telephones.
Originally the Politur were a division of the National Police (Policia Nacional), set up on June 17, 1975 as a twenty-strong team to patrol the Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo.
By the year 2000, the Politur had grown substantially in numbers and in recognition of the importance of their function; they were made a separate organization by Presidential Decree on December 21.


More depth
The Politur work to provide public safety in the Dominican tourism industry, through protection and guidance to tourists and/or foreigners visiting the tourist areas of the country, whilst maintaining a consistent sense of compliance with established laws.
The purpose of the Politur is also to allow Dominican tourism to grow by maintaining a climate of public safety within tourist resorts and monitoring the implementation of laws regulating their activities.
They have the power to enforce all laws and regulations governing the tourism sector, as well as any other provision, standards or rulings issued by the Secretary of State for Tourism, or any other institution or held by the Dominican State on the protection of tourism .
This also means they can take appropriate preventive measures to avoid any such violations. Such measure may include force and arrest.
They are employed to investigate, prosecute, detain and bring to justice any persons or institutions who engage in violations of laws or other tourism-related rules whilst maintaining the civil rights of all citizens.
They seek to maintain security and public order within tourist resorts, allowing domestic and foreign tourists to freely exercise their fundamental rights, as enshrined in the Constitution and other laws.
Their responsibilities often mean that they link up with other authorities, such as the Traffic Police so they can protect the safety of tourists whether as drivers or pedestrians.
Serious crimes are usually taken over by the National Police.
They work in conjuction with the Armed Forces to participate in National Defense and in emergency situations, work with the Civil Defense.
Their duties allow them to intervene in land, air, sea, river and lake transport, and they have a variety of vehicles including cars, motorbikes, quad-bikes, boats, and even segways!