BACHELET TO FORM NEW MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTIAGO 000415

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2015
TAGS: KCRM PGOV PINR CI
SUBJECT: BACHELET TO FORM NEW MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY

REF: SANTIAGO 00253


1. (SBU) Summary: President-elect Michelle Bachelet intends
to establish a Ministry of Public Security, with a still to
be defined mandate over funds and administration of all
domestic security forces. The main goal is to improve
coordination between the Carabineros (national police) and
PICH (investigative police),as well as make good on
Bachelet's campaign promise to improve community-based crime
prevention. Creation of the ministry has been in the works
for over a year and enjoys wide support from both the
opposition and governing coalitions. Bachelet can expect
some in-house opposition from the Carabineros and the
Ministries of Interior, Defense, and Health, which will fight
to protect their traditional domains. End Summary.

New Ministry
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2. (U) President-elect Michelle Bachelet had announced her
intention to establish a Ministry of Public Security during
the first 100 days of her administration. However, in recent
statements, Bachelet spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber (son of
the current president) warned that the project to establish
the new ministry could take longer than expected. The idea
is not new: the Lagos administration has been working on the
proposal for more than a year. If established, the
ministry's primary purpose would be to increase coordination
among the state agencies currently charged with providing
security and preventing crime: the national police
(Carabineros) and the investigative police (PICH). The
ministry is expected to receive additional funds, as well as
centralized control of money that is currently allotted to
education and rehabilitation through groups like Safe
Communities, Chiledeportes (ChileSports),the Ministry of
Health, and CONACE (Chilean equivalent of the Office of
Narcotics and Drug Control Policy).

Law and Order - The Need for a Clear Hierarchy
-------------- -


3. (SBU) Before the election, both Bachelet and her
opponent, Sebastian Pinera, supported the creation of a new
ministry. Crime levels, long-standing public support, a
desire to negate perceptions that she might be soft on crime,
and research by the well-respected NGO Fundacion Paz
Ciudadana (Citizen Peace Foundation) all drove her to
advocate its creation. During the campaign, Bachelet
identified combating rising crime rates and increasing public
security as two of her top priorities. Her platform
described delinquency as an "attack on the most essential
personal rights (life, property, and privacy)," and
acknowledged the long-standing lack of coordination between
the PICH and Carabineros. By putting both organizations
under a single coherent leadership, Bachelet hopes that
coordination can be improved, bureaucracy reduced, and more
attention brought to drug-control. Although narcotics
trafficking and use was not a major issue during the
campaign, drug-related crime has been on the rise and some
Chilean legislators have been dissatisfied with Carabinero
attempts to confront it. The creation of a new ministry
would also address Bachelet's broader goal of using community
support and crime prevention to reduce juvenile crime in
Chile, using initiatives to identify at-risk youth, improve
stay-in-school programs, and increasing gun control.

Setup and Timing
--------------


4. (U) President-elect Bachelet had stated she intended to
introduce legislation creating the Ministry during the first
100 days of her administration, although as noted above, this
timetable may be slipping. It is rumored that she will name
a future-Minister before her inauguration, possibly before
the end of February. The nominee would be responsible for
gathering the congressional consensus, formulating a formal
proposal, and generally coordinating the creation of the
ministry.

Composition
--------------


5. (SBU) The proposed ministry composition and structure is
still not certain. Carabineros and PICH will form the base,
and it is possible that ANI (Chilean National Intelligence
Agency) and Customs will be pulled in as well. Management of
funds currently allocated for crime prevention under CONACE,
Safe Communities, Chiledeportes (Chilesports),and the
Ministry of Health, will also be placed under the new
Ministry.

Support and Opposition
--------------


6. (C) In theory, a new public security ministry is
supported by legislators across the political spectrum.
During a meeting with DEA/Santiago, Concertacion and
opposition congressmen acknowledged the need for increased
coordination among law enforcement agencies. Most opposition
will likely come from ministries and other organizations that
will be affected by the change, and not from the political
opposition. The Carabineros, who are known for resisting
change, and currently enjoy a close connection to the
military through the MOD, are expected to fight hardest to
keep the status quo. The ministries of Interior, Health, and
Defense, which would lose funding, may also complain. The
PICH, on the other hand, could welcome the shift because they
dislike the Carabinero-military connection and are unhappy
with the political oversight of their job by the Ministry of
Interior.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) Despite Bachelet's campaign promise, and the evident
logic of increased agency coordination, it is uncertain
whether this project will bear fruit, in what form, or how
long it will take. Fitting the pieces together is
complicated, and the existing bureaucracies are powerful.
KELLY