Chilean government launches security plan in the face of growing crime

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, launched on Thursday, June 30, a security plan of 33 measures for the next four years that seek to curb the increase in crime and violence in the country, the main concerns of the population according to surveys.

Boric announced during a visit to the city of Arica (north) the National Plan for Public Safety and Crime Prevention for 2022-2026.

Among its main measures is the creation of the Ministry of Security to advance Police Reform, strengthen the role of municipalities in security, promote a Private Security Law, and create a new National Public Security Policy for the next ten years.

“As a government, we are working hard, and we are going to address the problem of crime without complexes and as a State priority, in a cross-cutting, intersectoral manner with all the institutions,” said the president.

“We hope to have the support of all political forces and social actors who are very important to stop the advance of crime and win this fight,” he added.

Violence has been on the rise in Chile for a decade. Although its rates continue to lag behind other Latin American countries, in the last two years, insecurity has become the primary concern of Chileans.

According to the latest survey by pollster Ipsos, 52% of Chileans are concerned about crime, in addition to the presence of organized mafias and drug trafficking.

Given the growing use of illegal weapons in the country by criminals, the plan proposes a plan for arms control that considers strengthening criminal prosecution, controlling weapons and ammunition, creating systems for their traceability, and improving the control of weapons in possession of the State and reinforcing border control.

Official reports indicate that in Chile, there are 765,817 active firearms registered.

But according to data from the Swiss portal Small Arms Survey, which specializes in weapons and armed violence, quoted by the electronic newspaper EMOL, in Chile, there are 2,200,000 weapons in civilian possession, of which 1,456,818 are not registered.

With information from AFP