Santiago de los Caballeros, the Dominican Republic's second city and the main hub of the Cibao region, is seeing a marked fall in reported crime, according to figures from the Cibao Central Directorate of the National Police.
Between January and September, complaints for robberies and other offences fell from 7,382 in 2025 to 4,959 in 2026 — 2,423 fewer reports, a drop of 32.8%. August showed the steepest single improvement: 394 robbery and mugging reports versus 765 the year before, a reduction of nearly half.
Violent crime indicators moved the same way. Police put Santiago's homicide rate at 5.4 per 100,000 residents, the second-lowest among the force's 19 regional directorates. In September alone, the monthly indicator fell to 1.1 from 3.4 a year earlier.
Authorities credit targeted operations against people with outstanding arrest warrants, preventive patrols across city neighbourhoods, and a wave of surrenders by identified fugitives — alongside a number of deaths in alleged confrontations with officers. Staff at the Public Prosecutor's Office handling complaints say fewer people have been coming in to report robberies and muggings in recent weeks, though they caution that complaint numbers don't always mirror actual crime levels.
For travellers, the takeaway is straightforward but measured: Santiago is trending safer by official measures, and that matters if you're using it as a base for the Cibao mountains, the cigar country around Tamboril, or the northern coast beyond Puerto Plata. Standard city sense still applies — watch belongings in markets and bus terminals, use official taxis or ride apps at night, and keep valuables out of sight. The trend is encouraging rather than a licence for carelessness, and the police themselves note multiple factors can affect the numbers.
If Santiago wasn't on your Dominican itinerary beyond an airport transfer, this is a good moment to reconsider: the Monumento a los Héroes, the cigar heritage, and easy access to Jarabacoa's hills all make it a rewarding inland stop. Source: Dominican Today.
