Chile Hands New Powers to Police as Security Deteriorates

Chile has given police greater leeway to use force against criminal suspects, but this hasty response to a wave of deadly attacks on security forces is unlikely to tackle the roots of the country's security problems.

Several officers from Chile's national police force, the Carabineros, have been killed or injured in recent weeks. In the latest incident, three officers were shot on April 12 during a security operation in La Florida, southeast of the capital, Santiago.

In 2022, Chile saw a startling 32% rise in homicides, with many concentrated in its northern region amid the arrival of the Venezuelan gang, the Tren de Aragua.

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