Chile

AuthorGeorge Kurian
Pages282-285

Page 282

Official country name: Republic of Chile

Capital: Santiago

Geographic description: A fringe along the western side of the South American continent bordering the South Pacific on the west and Argentina on the east, extending 2,600 miles between northern and southern extremities but only 100 miles wide on average

Population: 15,980,912 (est. 2005)

Chile
LAW ENFORCEMENT
History

The first police organization in the country was established in Santiago in 1758. This consisted of a squadron of fifty men, called the Queen's Dragoons, quartered near the governor's palace. The then governor, Manuel de Amat y Junient, directed this unit to protect the citizens from the increasing number of robberies and assaults by armed bands. As this force became more effective, its name was changed to Chilean Dragoons and its size was increased. By 1850 its strength had grown to three hundred. In 1903 it was incorporated into the army as the Regiment of the Gendarmes, and in 1927 the unit was placed under the Ministry of the Interior by presidential decree. The name was changed to Carabineros de Chile, and it was made responsible for the internal security of the entire country. A second organization responsible for law enforcement is the Investigaciones, and a third is the Judicial Police Force, known as the Gendarmerie de Chile.

Structure and Organization
Carabineros de Chile

At the head of the organization is the director general, whose offices are in the Zonal Headquarters in Santiago. Under the headquarters are the prefectures, first-rank police stations; comisarias, second-rank police stations, subcomisarias, third-rank police stations; and tenencias, fourth-rank police stations; and retenes, police posts and advance guards. The director general functions as the liaison between the Minister of the Interior and the organizational units and personnel of his command. The senior police chief in each province is directly subordinate to the intendente, the provincial representative of the president of the republic, and the police chief in each department of the province is subordinate to its governor. The country is divided into three zones for internal security administration: The Northern Zone comprises the departments of Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Aconcagua, and Valparaíso. The Southern Zone comprises the departments of O'Higgins, Calchagua, Curico, Talca, Linares, Maule, Nuble, Concepcion, Arauco and Bío-Bío. The Extreme Southern Zone comprises Malleco, Cautin, Valdivia, Osorno, Llanqihue, Chiloe, Aisen, and Magallanes.

Page 283

For operational purposes, the Carabineros are divided into seventeen departments, and ten prefectures. The departments are: Analysis and Evaluation; Armaments and Munitions; Borders and Boundaries; Civil Action; Data Processing; Drug Control and Prevention of Offenses; Finance; Forestry; Internal Security; Legal, Minors; Police Services; Public Relations; Social Action; Supply; Traffic Control and Transport. The prefectures are: Santiago Central, East, West, North, South, Air Police, Minors, Radio Patrol, Special Forces, and Traffic. The Carabineros is also themunicipal police in Santiago. The city is divided into thirty-five comisarias, of which twenty-six are territorial and the remaining are operational. The Carabineros Information Service is the intelligence-gathering arm of the Carabineros.

The Carabineros is considered one of the most efficient and effective police forces in South America. It patrols not only the rural and urban areas but also the...

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