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As traditional media and social networks are flooded with news, comments and opinions about crime, citizen fear grows and the model of the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, begins to be longed for as a possible solution to the security problems that Chile is experiencing. Before advancing along this line, it is necessary to ask ourselves if the only solution to security problems is the limitation of freedoms and rights, or if this is a false dilemma.
The perception of security not only depends on the number of crimes, but mostly depends on other factors such as coverage in the media and social networks, their violence and other subjective factors.
According to the Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve and corroborated as true by the Catholic University, «The figures show that, if one takes the crimes with the greatest social connotation, they do indeed come with a persistent downward trend. But robberies with intimidation, robberies with violence, and homicides have had a persistent upward trend for 10 years. “Every day that passes, Chile has been a country that has more violent crimes.”
In the perception of insecurity, the Citizen Peace Index 2023 reports that the proportion of people with a high fear of crime reached 30.5%, the highest figure since registration began 23 years ago. As fear continues to increase, there will be more and more people who support limitations on freedoms, pointing out that “he who does nothing, fears nothing.”
The big problem lies not in the conviction of the criminal, but rather, without the validity of a rule of law, there is no counterweight to the arbitrariness and abuses that lead innocent people to experience the consequences of a repressive policy. Furthermore, and perhaps most seriously, as history demonstrates, unchecked power is a source of abuse and corruption.
Crime and the perception of insecurity also have a political dimension. We are at a turning point. On the one hand, our society and our political system is mired in petty disputes and has not been able to achieve learning that is ahead of the new criminal reality that we face. And on the other hand, the population sees that Presidents Bukele in El Salvador and Noboa in Ecuador are achieving results in reducing violence in their respective countries with severe restrictions on freedoms and rights.
If democracy and the rule of law do not show results in the fight against crime, we will face the political dilemma of security vs. freedoms because, the more afraid the population is, the more inclined they will be to support an authoritarian leader who limits their rights. and freedoms as an exchange for greater security.
Marcelo Trivelli
Seed Foundation
