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LatinNews Daily - 07 November 2018

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Chile’s Piñera moves on security pledge

Development: On 6 November Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera presented five legislative initiatives aimed at modernising and strengthening security.

Significance: Addressing public security is a priority for President Piñera and his right-of-centre Chile Vamos coalition government, which took office in March, given it was a top voter concern. Official figures released earlier this year indicate that Chile’s homicide rate was up 21.1% in 2017 compared with 2016, increasing from 2.7 to 3.3 incidences per 100,000 people. The legislative initiatives are the first fruits of the proposals to come out of the so-called 'national agreement for public security' – a dialogue process that Piñera launched in April.

  • In April President Piñera convened a 23-member public security board (MAS) comprising government representatives, national legislators, mayors, opposition leaders, and public ministry officials, as well as academics and civil society representatives, to come up with proposals on how to improve public security. The MAS came up with 150 proposals, which it presented to the government.
  • The new legislative initiatives include plans to modernise the police and set new standards of transparency, providing civil society with more oversight over the internal management of the Carabineros (militarised police) and investigations police (PDI) and information regarding their uses of public resources.
  • President Piñera also announced an initiative which would modernise the state intelligence system and create an intelligence advisory council that will serve as a consultative body for the president in matters of intelligence. Another initiative seeks to tighten controls of firearms – with plans to increase requirements for the acquisition and registration of weapons as well as better oversight. 
  • The final legislative initiative seeks to strengthen the role that local authorities play in providing public security, through providing greater support to the Carabineros.

Looking Ahead: The emphasis on transparency is likely to be welcomed given the recent tax-fraud and evidence-tampering scandals that have affected the Carabineros which made headlines at the start of the year.

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