Are you concerned about security in sunny destinations?

The Dominican Republic is one of the more popular tourist destinations for Canadians. The Canadian federal government is urging the country to do more to investigate crimes involving Canadian citizens. (iStock)

We've all read the newspaper stories of Canadians vacationing in a sunny destination like Mexico, who occasionally become victims of mysterious and violent crimes.

After the headlines, we rarely hear the outcome of those cases. Are the perpetrators ever caught and brought to justice?

The Canadian federal government wants to change that, urging such touristy countries to do more to investigate crimes involving Canadian citizens, the Canadian Press reports.
 
Diane Ablonczy, the minister of state for foreign affairs, is urging officials in both Mexico and the Dominican Republic to offer "timely and transparent investigations" of cases where Canadians are victims of violent crimes.
 
Upon her return from visiting the two popular tourist destinations, Ablonczy told the Canadian Press that while "a very small percentage of Canadians run into difficulty" when travelling in Mexico or the Dominican, when violence does occur families often feel like nothing is being be done to bring the perpetrator to justice.
 
In recent years, Canadians have been killed in Mexico as drug-related violence in the country escalates. Additionally, two Canadians have been killed in the Dominican Republic this year.

Should more be done to investigate violent crimes in tourist countries? Why or why not? Are you concerned about security in sunny destinations? Share your comments below.


(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)