President Bachelet: “The best approach to fighting crime involves the police, the community and the government joining forces.”
The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, took part this morning in the launch of the Model for Integration of the Police and the Community (Modelo de Integración entre Carabineros y la Comunidad, M.I.C.C.) and visited the program’s operational offices. She was accompanied by the General Director of the Carabineros (uniformed police force), Bruno Villalobos, and the Undersecretary of the Interior, Mahmud Aleuy. This community work methodology is designed to optimize early responses by the Carabineros and is part of the effort to improve the preventive security initiative known as Plan Cuadrante.
After visiting the geo-referential monitoring office and the community work office in the Northern Santiago Prefecture, President Bachelet went to Avenida Cardenal José María Caro in the municipality of Conchalí to see the new lighting installed by the police and local residents. She also toured the ‘Joy in Action’ Plaza in the El Cortijo neighborhood, which is located in the same district.
“There are no short-cuts in public safety. There is no magic spell or silver bullet that can solve all of the problems. We must address the crime that is causing so much damage to Chilean families through unity and working together. The best approach to fighting crime involves the police, the community and the government joining forces,” President Bachelet said in her opening remarks.
The President then referred to the efforts that form part of the launch of the M.I.C.C. in Conchalí. “Here are the results. This place has been recovered by local residents. It is no longer an area ruled by fear and crime. It has become what all of the country’s plazas should be: a place in which to relax and have fun. On the way here, I saw the new lights that have been installed in order to make the nearly 5,000 people who travel along Avenida Cardenal Caro on their way to work, school or the store feel more secure.”
The main purpose of the M.I.C.C. is to encourage people to take part in efforts to develop solutions. The community is viewed as a group of stakeholders who have the initiative and responsibility to achieve sustainable solutions to today’s security issues. As President Bachelet said, “There is no one better than you to do it. You know what needs to be done here. You know what is needed on these streets and walkways, in the plazas, and at the bus stops. That is the idea behind the program that we are launching today with an investment of 4.7 billion pesos so that it can be implemented nationwide.”