Forestry Contractors Highlight Effectiveness of Timber Theft Law: Crimes Drop by Over 80%

The manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors, René Muñoz Klock, emphasized that the enforcement of the law criminalizing timber theft, over a year ago, has led to an over 80% reduction in such crimes and a 64% decrease in attacks.

The regulation came into effect on September 27, 2022, when Law No. 21,488 was published in the Official Gazette, amending the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code to classify timber theft and related offenses, while enabling the use of special investigative techniques for prosecution.

Among other measures, the law increases penalties, requires drivers to carry electronic permits, allows the confiscation of machinery and trucks used to transport stolen timber, and permits the implementation of special investigative techniques.

In this context, René Muñoz praised the regulation, stating it "has shown good results, as evidenced by the numbers. Ultimately, it demonstrates the political will to combat timber theft from the State, achieving the expected outcomes."

According to the leader, based on data provided by the Chilean Wood Corporation (Corma), "from 2021 to date, there has been an 84% to 85% decrease in these crimes. In 2021, losses were estimated at $100 million, and now we’re down to $20 million."

In his view, the evolution of the crime has shown "a notable decline. There was a direct link between timber theft and criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and attacks on forestry contractors."

According to René Muñoz Klock, the data aligns with their own analysis of figures from 2023: "For example, there has been a 64% reduction in attacks overall in the Southern Macrozone. Looking at Arauco and Biobío in detail, there’s been an 84% decrease, so the trend matches."

Consequently, he added, "these are not coincidences; timber theft is directly linked to attacks on forestry contractors."

For the leader, "the results are remarkable and should be highlighted. Objectively, the outcomes must be analyzed in light of what’s happening, and that’s the reality."

For this reason, the head of the forestry contractors argued that this positive trend should continue: "The results are good, and we hope they persist because our goal is normalization." He asserted that "this will help avoid perpetually living under a level of violence and crime that paralyzes everything. Without security, there’s no productive activity in the region, so we want the laws to keep being enforced."

CRIME REDUCTION DUE TO LEGISLATION

The representative anticipated that "with the inclusion of the Land Usurpation Law, which marks the beginning of timber theft and attacks, there will also be a positive effect."

"For us, it’s been a year with good results, and in that sense, we believe the Government has done well," he said, referring to the law that prosecutes and penalizes timber theft nationwide, among other laws aimed at ending crimes in rural areas.

Source:www.latribuna.cl