This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

011316Z Mar 06

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 
------------ 
 
¶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