Robberies, kidnappings and murders: Chile faces the worst security crisis of the last three decades

Sicarios, gangs of organized crime, “portonazos” (entrances) or “encerronas” and a sharp increase in murders: Chile faces worst security crisis in three decades, a scenario unknown in the country, where fear is growing in the population.

Violence has been on the rise in Chile for a decade, and although its rates are still lower than other Latin American countries, insecurity has become over the past two years. the main concern of Chileans, who have begun to change routines to avoid falling victim to the growing number of violent crimes.

“We can think that Chile is a country where crime is causing more damage than before. Families today feel that they have a high risk of being victims of a crime”, Daniel Johnson, executive director of the Paz Ciudadana foundation.

Figures that worry

For the past six years the homicide rate in Chile increased by 70%, while the perception of damage caused by violent robbery has increased by 37% in a decade.

Among the crimes with greater social connotations are the so-called “slamming doors”, attacks on the entrances of houses or condominiums, and the “encerronas”, as they call the theft of vehicles on public roads for interception of armed criminals.

The latest study by pollster Ipsos indicates that for 52% of Chileans the main concern is crime, in addition to the presence of organized mafias and drug trafficking. According to the police, drug seizures increased by 150% in 2021.

In this scenario, the Undersecretary for Crime Prevention, Eduardo Vergara, launched a sentence that raised the alarm: “Chile is experiencing the worst moment of security since the return to democracy” in 1990.

The traditional Meiggs neighborhood, a populous commercial sector located in downtown Santiago, has been the center of police operations for the past two weeks in search of disintegration. mafias that charge street vendors for the position that covered the sidewalks.

The death of a reporter following one of the Labor Day marches after being shot a bullet in the face during a clash in Meiggs between shopkeepers and demonstrators, he outraged the population.

“We want to recover the city for the citizens, mainly the center of Santiago, and this will require a lot of perseverance and cooperation,” said Claudio Orrego, governor of the Chilean capital, during a meeting with established traders and municipal authorities.

Weapons

The events raised concern for the use of weapons in Chile, where there are 765,817 active members, according to the General Directorate of National Mobilization (DGMN).

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

Meanwhile, police reported that 515 illegal weapons were seized in the first five months of the year, 11.23% more than in the same period last year.

Gunshot death “has become the leading cause of murder in Chile. There is greater access for people who commit crimes to illegal weapons,” Johnson explained.

Proposed by Gabriel Boric

President Gabriel Boric devoted much of his first report to the nation before Congress last week on the issue of security and announced a law to restrict legal access to weapons.

According to Johnson, violence has increased in Chile due to the emergence of a series of “imported” offenses.such as the killings on commission, the attacks on motorcycles or the smuggling of migrants, perpetrated by gangs – not necessarily foreign – that replicate these crimes that have already overtaken the local police and frightened the population.

It also adds constants to the “feeling of lack of control” social protests since the October 2019 riot, which usually ends with barricades on public roads, burnt buses and public transport stops or businesses completely destroyed every week.

President Boric announced a profound reform of the Carabinierithe Chilean militarized police, a source of strong criticism for cases of corruption and reports of human rights violations.

The president also announced more street policing and investments to build police stations and modernize intelligence services.

Source: AFP

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