DT28 | General Considerations for Designing a Public Security Strategy Against Organized Crime

Following a clear definition of our current problem, this document aims to outline key guidelines and propose the fundamental issues to consider in designing a future public security strategy against organized crime.

The main security problem facing our country today is the actions of organized crime groups, which have generated a level of violence unprecedented in the country. The AthenaLab 20241 survey reflected that, in terms of perception, citizens (9.5 out of 10 Chileans) indicate that the primary threat is drug trafficking and the actions of organized crime. This phenomenon has expanded and diversified in recent years to the point that our State—practically—does not exercise effective sovereignty in certain areas of its territory where criminal gangs not only contest that sovereignty but practice it daily. This struggle for territory has broadened and now affects many urban areas of the capital and regions,
with a significant impact on the security of the most vulnerable sectors of society, which have dramatically suffered in their lives and well-being.

This is of utmost relevance, as the ultimate purpose of a State is the common good, expressed in terms of security, development, and well-being. This is the full responsibility of the current political power that manages the State. Consequently, if an adequate level of security, development, and well-being cannot be provided, the primary mandate for which citizens have ceded our sovereignty to this form of political organization is not being fulfilled. Security is the key element to promote the development and desired well-being of our citizens, issues that the social contract is failing to satisfy, as security is the most affected and crisis-ridden area.

We could state that, in terms of national security, there has been a before and after since the emergence of organized crime in our country, and to date, the last governments have not been successful in neutralizing it. There has been a clear inability to deal with the current violence and criminality, which ultimately undermines
seriously the democracy that we all wish to preserve and strengthen. To reverse this situation, it is crucial not only to articulate the various powers of the State and the existing political forces but also to engage all of society. Comparative experience in other countries shows us that there is a security threshold, which, once surpassed, is very difficult to reverse. Consequently, Chile is at a turning point to address this problem, which constitutes our most serious threat to national security.

Thus, the main objective of this document, following a clear definition of our current problem, is to visualize the key guidelines and propose the fundamental issues to consider in designing a probable future public security strategy against organized crime. This aims to achieve a desired final state that strengthens the security condition that the country demands. Certainly, this document does not intend to develop a strategy; it only aims to establish some foundational elements for its urgent formulation in a context of integration and coordination among all responsible actors.

Neutralizing organized crime is the most relevant task to address, and this is achieved through the coordinated and integrated action of all power instruments, as well as all available institutions and the set of forces and tools of the Rule of Law. We must not continue to foster positions that, with
clear biases, have encouraged the inhibition of the actions of that Rule of Law; primarily, through public order institutions and, in some cases, judicial bodies. This, of course, implies always complying with all legal norms and protecting citizens and their fundamental rights, but it reiterates the urgent need for a clear political will to genuinely solve the problem through the use of force, rather than merely managing the underlying issue.

Consequently, this document will be structured around the definition of the main problem and context of public security, followed by an examination and proposal of the guidelines deemed essential, visualizing a probable desired final state, and concluding with some general considerations.