President Piñera: “Our commitment, our obligation, is to reduce crime so as to increase safety”
The President participated in the launch of an anti-crime plan and signed a bill to make use of the Tactical Police Operations System mandatory throughout Chile.
On Wednesday, the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, attended the launch of the Tactical Police Operations System (Sistema Táctico de Operación Policial, STOP), a crime prevention tool that uses in-depth analysis of crime data to make police action more focused and efficient.
“I am going to be very clear. Crime has always existed. Always and everywhere. Our commitment, our obligation, is to reduce crime so as to increase safety. This is the government’s obligation; citizens expect that of their government,” said the President at the event at La Florida Police Station No. 36.
Every time someone files a report, information is added to the system. The data is used to identify the places and times where crimes are occurring in order to focus resources where they are really needed.
The system facilitates communication between citizens and their neighborhood uniformed police (Carabineros) precinct as well as access to crime data anywhere in the country.
“Crime is the highest priority of the Chilean people. Safety is their primary need. Chileans are clamoring for us to do better so that they can feel safe, more secure and at peace in their homes,” said the President, who was accompanied by the Interior and Public Security Minister, Andrés Chadwick, and the General Director of Carabineros, Hermes Soto.
To consolidate the proposal, the President signed a bill making use of the system mandatory and incorporating it into permanent policy in order to drive down victimization rates.
Following this launch, the President held a teleconference with the regional governors to announce use of the system to fight crime throughout Chile.