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Government and Two Years of the State of Emergency: "We Will Use It as Long as Necessary"

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• The Undersecretary of Defense, Ricardo Montero, addressed the situation in the Southern Macrozone. "The collaboration with the Armed Forces will continue until the Rule of Law can be restored," he said.

Led by Undersecretary of Defense Ricardo Montero and accompanied by the Presidential Delegate of Biobío, Daniela Dresdner; Admiral Oscar Manzano, Chief of National Defense in Arauco and Biobío (Jedena); Carabineros General César Bobadilla; and Prefect Inspector Claudia Chamorro, head of the Investigative Police (PDI) Regional Bureau in Biobío, the first Regional Security Cabinet meeting took place.

According to authorities, the meeting reviewed deployment strategies being carried out in the Biobío Region, with a primary focus on the Southern Macrozone, institutional coordination between the Armed Forces and police, along with the implementation of new measures that need to be enacted.

"This is an evaluation of the work we have been carrying out, an instance where the Armed Forces, Carabineros, the Investigative Police (PDI), and Gendarmerie all participate. It allows us to review the strategies we are developing, assess them, and make necessary adjustments," emphasized Undersecretary of Defense Ricardo Montero.

The undersecretary also stated that there is regional consensus, supported by various statistics, that the security strategy "has been working. We have improved—there are fewer crimes, fewer arsons, fewer incidents. This was overshadowed by the terrible murder of three Carabineros. This does not mean a complete shift in strategy but rather maintaining what we have been doing well while also requiring certain changes and coordination to improve it (...) the improvement is significant compared to previous years," he added.

Based on this, the official clarified that adjustments must be made in the work of the Armed Forces and police in the area, along with reinforcements in personnel and technology used to combat crime. Montero assured that the security strategy in Arauco Province and the region as a whole remains under constant evaluation.

"We have very good news in the criminal process, at least over the last two years, especially in the last two months. We recently saw a major first-instance conviction, and there was a significant operation early this morning demonstrating joint work, in this case between the Navy and the PDI. These results show we are making progress," Montero stated regarding security advances in Arauco, adding, "We are not complacent—we will pursue all those who operate outside the Rule of Law."

It is worth noting that this May marks two years of the Southern Macrozone under a State of Constitutional Emergency. In this context, the Undersecretary of Defense stated that this measure must remain in place until order is restored in the aforementioned territory. "We will use it as long as necessary, until we can reestablish a more regular order. Until the Rule of Law is restored, collaboration with the Armed Forces will continue across the entire Southern Macrozone, in all necessary provinces," he said.

Regarding the triple murder of Carabineros officers in Cañete, which occurred in the early hours of April 27 this year, Montero detailed some actions taken under the State of Emergency, stating, "We immediately reinforced with more personnel. The Armed Forces brought in more people, deployed more resources, and more technology. We had support from the Air Force and Army from other regions, and the police did the same."

Another point discussed after the cabinet meeting was the evaluation to establish an Armed Forces outpost near Tirúa. This, they explained, is because personnel currently have to travel from Los Álamos for every joint operation with Carabineros.

"We have already increased the number of personnel and resources, with reserved quantities and locations. The strategy is to reassess all requirements and functions carried out by both the Armed Forces and police in these critical zones, and based on that, we will make some decisions," Montero stated.

In recent days, local municipalities have raised concerns about the curfew in Cañete, Contulmo, and Tirúa, particularly questioning the lack of surveillance and enforcement during the restrictive measure.

However, Montero affirmed, "We have a positive evaluation of the curfew at all levels—authorities, Jedena, the police, and the community all assess it favorably."

On the continuity of the curfew, the undersecretary commented, "We will use the tools provided by the State of Emergency, including the curfew, for as long as necessary to maintain order in the area and especially to facilitate certain investigative efforts in this particular case."

Delegation

Meanwhile, the Presidential Delegate of Biobío, Daniela Dresdner, shared positive security statistics presented during the cabinet meeting, emphasizing, "Here we address security issues, not only those of the macrozone but also urban crime."

Regarding the data, Dresdner noted, "We discussed the decline in homicides. Homicides have decreased by 10.7% comparing 2023 to 2022. In the macrozone, arrests of individuals linked to crimes have risen by 40%, and specifically for timber theft, by over 78%."

"If we look at percentage reductions, we’re seeing a drop of over 60% in arson-related crimes and over 60% in roadblock offenses. The data shows concrete progress in combating crime. That doesn’t mean the problem is solved (...) we must keep working," the presidential delegate added.

Based on regional requests submitted to the Undersecretariat of Defense, Dresdner specified, "We have gaps related to the productivity of Arauco, which will also help improve security. The Biobío Provincial Delegate also raised specific issues in Los Ángeles regarding drug trafficking. I won’t go into detail for security reasons, but we also face high-profile crimes in Concepción Province, such as theft, violent robbery, and drug-related offenses."

PDI

Another key topic addressed was the investigation into the murder of the three Carabineros in Arauco Province. According to the PDI, the investigation is being handled exclusively by Carabineros de Chile.

"Generally, police follow the Public Prosecutor’s Office mandate. The tragic incident involving Carabineros is under the jurisdiction of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and Carabineros, so this police force only acts on prosecutor-led investigations. We are not in charge of this case," stated Prefect Inspector Claudia Chamorro, head of the PDI Regional Bureau in Biobío.

Source:diarioconcepcion.cl