The Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, hinted this afternoon at the possibility of making the criteria designed from her portfolio more flexible, in order that the formalization of any authority implied its prior resignation, an issue that is on the table because the Next May 7, the formalization against the general director of Carabineros, Ricardo Yáñez, is set, for which he had negotiated his departure for next May 3.
However, the triple homicide of the police in Cañete dramatically changed the scenario, as different voices, from the ruling party and the opposition, have requested that a way be found to prevent Yáñez’s resignation. Asked in this regard, the minister said, at the Fourth Public Order Control Police Station (COP) of Los Alamos, that “what we need today is to be all united, this is not a time when we can collect or face any type of weakening. So, we are going to search and we are going to find a way so that no situation weakens all the actors who have to be present, working together, certainly starting with the Carabineros, which is the victim here. The way, the mode, we will see, but clearly this is not a time to weaken and move the key figures in this effort that we have to face.”
Although the President of the Republic did not want to answer questions from the press – as is customary for him -, in a brief speech made in the same place he made a gesture towards the uniformed man, indicating that “our role as authorities is to guide and deliver results, do not act with a hot head. And in this we are all necessary. By the way, so is General Yáñez and, therefore, all the authorities present here are going to be working in coordination and collaboration to be able to have truth, justice and that there is no impunity.”
The general, in turn, indicated that he will stay working in Los Alamos for as long as necessary, which was also interpreted in the political world as a kind of “go-ahead” in order that, even if it is formalized, The criteria already indicated will not be strictly applied.
Along with the above, the president indicated that the Minister of Defense and the Undersecretary of the Interior will also remain working in the area, and asserted that “the best weapon, the best tool we have to combat these criminals, these people ruthless person who has committed this horrendous crime, is the unit. That is why the present State is here. Today, to be able to face this situation, there must be neither left nor right, neither ruling party nor opposition. Chile has to be there. And here is Chile, whole as a single fist, whole as a single force, to do justice, so that there is no impunity, to dismantle these gangs and so that they pay for their crimes, wherever they are.”
Likewise, he said that “just as happened weeks ago with Major Sánchez, we are going to search wherever necessary to find these criminals. As President of the Republic, I do not rule out any of the legal tools that are at our disposal. We are going to make the decisions accordingly with a cool head, with the information that the police give us, together and working in a coordinated manner with all the powers of the State”, in reference to the requests that were initiated on the right, but that also They have arrived from the ruling party, in order to apply the state of siege in the Province of Arauco.
He added that “today in Chile there is heartbreak, there is sadness, there is anger. We have it too. And we know that the Carabineros institution, particularly the families of those who have been brutally murdered, have immeasurable pain.”
In turn, General Yáñez said that the institutional anniversary “was obviously marred by an act of violence that is unusual, in an area that is complicated in itself” and that “our police officers are affected, hurt, beaten, but they are on duty still on the street. They are working on the investigations, they are working together with the Public Ministry to collect the necessary evidence to be able to capture and detain those who committed this horrendous crime. I want to tell you that the police are not going to break us by trying to intimidate us with facts like this. Quite the contrary, I know them. “My police officers have a resilience that is foolproof.”
In the same sense, he indicated that “we are hurt in the soul, (but) we do not have time to grieve or cry. On the contrary, people have more insecurity and therefore we have to provide them with more security.”