COLUMN | The Ministry of Public Security

The key lies in how they manage the system and maximize its performance, especially the police, who must ensure order and security in the national territory, something we know is not currently happening.

On April 1, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security officially begins, a new state agency viewed by some as merely more bureaucracy and expense, and by others as the solution to the insecurity that affects us. Time will tell who was right, but it is clear that it came to light with the majority approval of Congress, despite criticism from the more right-wing forces in the spectrum, as well as from security and defense specialists.

As everyone expected, the President appointed what may have been his most reliable and effective minister and legal advisor, lawyer Luis Cordero, who will have lawyer Rafael Collado as his undersecretary. Like his boss, Collado successfully served for many years at FerradaNehme, the firm of the renowned and prominent lawyer Nicole Nehme, from which they both joined the current Government.

Boric is sending his most capable duo to advance this ministry, which took over 20 years to come to fruition. They will be joined by Carolina Leitao, the current Undersecretary for Crime Prevention, a former mayor and lawyer, so it would not be surprising if the approach to public insecurity issues is more legal and juridical, rather than operational and strategic.

Since we are on this topic, it is in the interest of all of Chile that this ministry succeeds, because if it does not, we will be worse off than before, and the situation, as we all know, cannot continue as it is. To ensure we are all on the same page, the creation of the Ministry of Public Security does not bring additional operational resources at its inception, and essentially, apart from the two undersecretaries, it is only in charge of the police: Carabineros de Chile and the PDI.

The new ministry does not oversee Gendarmería de Chile, which remains under the Ministry of Justice along with the Medical Legal Service; it does not oversee the Public Ministry and the Courts of Justice, which obviously maintain their independence and autonomy; it does not oversee Customs and the UAF, which remain under the Ministry of Finance; nor does it oversee the Armed Forces when operating under constitutional exceptions, or in the safeguarding and protection of critical infrastructure, which includes the borders with Peru and Bolivia, through which many of our problems enter.

This is why it is difficult to understand the added value of this ministry and why it should produce better results than what existed before under the Ministry of the Interior. Essentially, nothing has changed regarding the organizations and the individuals. Luis Cordero was already the Undersecretary of the Interior; Carolina Leitao was the Undersecretary for Crime Prevention; and Rafael Collado was the legal chief of the Undersecretary of the Interior. The police are the same as before, and I doubt that their change in dependency will alter their operational capabilities or the resources allocated to them.

It was also unnecessary to create this ministry to have a national public security policy, or to implement the Integrated Police Coordination Center (Cicpol), or the National Citizen Protection System, all aspects that could have been perfectly carried out under the Ministry of the Interior.

The creation of the ministry, which comes with its own regional secretaries, will inevitably create friction with the presidential delegates, particularly when there are public order issues, which are more in the realm of the delegate due to their political nature, but who will no longer have authority over Carabineros, an institution that must guarantee order and public security in the national territory.

It is evident that in the short term, the focus must be on operationalizing the ministry, completing the structures outside of Santiago, and developing the policy that has been requested, as well as the ancillary organizations that need to be created. However, if the minister and his undersecretaries were to accept some recommendations, I would focus on the following:

• Creation of a national public security system. Certainly, a national policy is necessary, but the most urgent need is for a system that coordinates and operates the organizations related to public security. This will require a strategy that determines objectives, means to be used, and how they are used.
• Resources allocated to the police. Without additional resources, the results should be similar to what we are currently obtaining. It is not only important that efforts are coordinated; it is also crucial that they have more personnel and material resources.
• Municipal security. Evidently, the focus should be on organized crime and more complex delinquency, but please do not forget about municipal security, which has become more important than in the past, due to Carabineros being dedicated to more significant issues, leaving the municipalities somewhat neglected. All mayors agree on this, and they also concur that the municipal security law 2.0 does not resolve insecurity at the communal level. In this sense, why not create municipal police forces?
• States of Constitutional Exception, protection of critical infrastructure, and public disorder. I recommend that they reach an agreement with the Ministry of the Interior on this. The first is perhaps a matter for the Interior; the second involves the Interior, Defense, and Public Security; and the last pertains to the Interior, but with resources from Public Security, since the police will no longer be dependent on the Interior. For example, the disturbances and damage caused by fishermen last week are of a political nature, as is the recently occurred Day of the Young Combatant.

I wish the new authorities the best of luck, for the good of Chile and Chileans. No one wants to throw a wrench in the works. Many of us oppose the creation of this ministry, but since it is a reality, we will support the minister and his undersecretaries. I have already indicated that they are capable and experienced professionals, but please do not forget that solutions, more than legal and juridical, lie in management and strategy.

Certainly, laws help, but the key lies in how they manage the system and maximize its performance, especially the police, who must guarantee order and security in the national territory, something we know is not currently happening, and which could eventually be grounds for a constitutional accusation, something not dismissible now that there is a responsible minister.