Carabineros of La Araucanía informed the Regional Ministerial Secretary (Seremi) of Security about the cessation of inspections on trucks transporting timber because there is no space in the communes to store the cargo vehicles seized during operations.
In October of last year, via email, the head of the Operations Department of Carabineros of La Araucanía, Colonel Juan Pablo Cofré Villaseca, informed the Seremi of Security of the decision.
The measure adopted by Carabineros did not sit well with the manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors (Acoforag), René Muñoz, who stated that it is a measure that deviates from the line aimed at dismantling organizations profiting from timber theft.
"We believe Carabineros' decision is not on the right track. It is necessary to find alternatives for parking the inspected trucks that have committed any infraction. Timber theft is a permanent criminal activity, and the State, through the police and prosecutor's offices, must find a solution to maintain controls. The crime persists, and inspection is key so that those who commit it feel the pressure and action of the State," affirmed Muñoz.
The email did not sit well with the Government division, mainly because one of the objectives of the inspections is to combat the organized crime in the area, which is dedicated to stealing timber from various forestry operations.
The information was confirmed to La Radio by the Seremi of Security of La Araucanía, Israel Campusano, who on February 2nd sent an email to the institution's operations manager, stating that it is a serious decision that will have impacts from a security standpoint in the region, but he has not yet received a response.
Following the publication of this report by BiobioChile during the morning, the Seremi of Security of La Araucanía, Israel Campusano, explained that "we want to emphasize that we have never expressed annoyance with Carabineros de Chile and the Investigative Police, with the Armed Forces and the Public Ministry. On the contrary, we have always highlighted the joint work carried out to combat organized crime and terrorism in our region. What we pointed out in the interview referred exclusively to the lack of truck parking lots, a concerning situation because it hinders safeguarding and inspections for timber trafficking. The mentioned official letter corresponds to a query to the Comptroller General's Office about who has the authority to inspect parking lots and is not a complaint against the security institutions."
Source:BiobioChile
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