Chile’s President raises a “national security agreement” after police officer’s death

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On May 5, Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, raised the “need for a national security agreement” after the death of policeman Breant Rivas after being shot in the back during a police procedure in Chillán, Ñuble region, 400 kilometers south of Santiago.

According to the President, who is touring his native region of Magallanes and Antarctica in the far south of the country, he spoke with the leader of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) – one of the main opposition parties – about the “need for all political forces to have a national agreement on security matters”.

“We cannot continue to allow this violence; we cannot allow this lack of control of weapons and criminals (…) There is an entry and possession of weapons, both fake and modified blanks, and stolen weapons, which is extremely serious in Chile, and there is no point in trying to argue with one sector or another,” said Boric.

Rivas, 23, was killed after being shot while pursuing suspects who escaped from a police checkpoint; his patrol chief repelled the action with his service weapon, killing the assailant on the spot.

Following the initial information, the Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Izkia Siches, announced a trip to the area to meet with the family of the police officer.

“I deeply regret the death of Carabinero Breant Rivas. It is painful news—my condolences to his family, friends, and Carabineros de Chile. We must work together as a country to reduce the firepower of criminals,” the Secretary of State posted on her social networks.

There were other incidents of gun violence in different parts of the country. In Iquique, 1,750 kilometers north of Santiago, a shooting ended with one dead and another person in a delicate situation.

Also, in Tirúa, one of the epicenters of the conflict zone in southern Chile between the State, forestry companies, and indigenous communities, a man died after being shot at, although details of the incident and whether or not it is linked to the political conflict in the territory are still unknown.

On May 1, in the center of Santiago, three people were injured -one of them still at death risk- in an incident in which, according to local investigations, at least 11 people shot at a crowd demonstrating for International Labor Day, placing the issue of security in the focus of citizens and government authorities.

With information from EFE