By Sebastián Silva
Santiago (EFE).- Chile’s presidential campaign has been overtaken by fears over crime, even as the country remains one of the safest in Latin America, a paradox that experts say reflects deep-rooted perceptions rather than reality, shaping the final stretch of the race between leftist candidate Jeannette Jara and far-right frontrunner José Antonio Kast.
Although Chile records the lowest crime rates in the Americas, public anxiety has intensified, marking security the top concern for voters.
“Combating crime is a priority and a task of the State that we must all assume,” Jara said in Tuesday’s final presidential debate. She pledged to use “all the tools of the State” to strengthen public safety and fight organized crime and drug trafficking.
Kast, leading most polls ahead of the Dec. 14 runoff, has made security his central message, citing what he describes as an alarming situation that requires a “national emergency government.”
His speeches regularly return to crime even when addressing unrelated topics.
Analysts told EFE that Chile has indeed seen the emergence of a “new type” of criminality over the past decade, more violent and resembling patterns previously associated with neighboring countries. But they emphasize that data still places Chile among the region’s safest nations.
Perception Gap: “Fear of the unknown”
Mladen Yopo, a political scientist and researcher at SEK University, said Chile maintains a “semi-closed strategic culture” that fuels fear of social changes and unfamiliar phenomena.
“Chile is today a very frightened country,” he said, citing surveys showing that 63% of adults identify crime and violence as their main concerns—higher than rates reported in Mexico or Colombia, where violent crime is far more widespread.
“The perception does not match reality,” Yopo added, noting that successive governments have expanded investigative and policing capabilities.
Under Chilean President Gabriel Boric alone, more than 70 anti-crime bills have been introduced, police budgets have reached record highs, large-scale patrol operations have intensified, surveillance systems have expanded, and a Public Security Ministry has been created.
Still, perception indicators remain low. The 2024 Gallup global survey found that only 36% of Chileans feel safe walking alone at night, ranking the country sixth-worst out of 144, close to nations in conflict and surpassed in the region only by Ecuador.
Data shows Chile remains among region’s safest
Jorge Araya, a public security expert at the University of Santiago, said Chile was “perhaps unprepared for new criminal dynamics,” but stressed it is part of a global trend. “Chile remains the safest country in Latin America along with Uruguay and Costa Rica,” he said.
In 2024, Uruguay recorded a homicide rate of 10.7 per 100,000 inhabitants; Costa Rica, 16.6; and Chile, 6, a 4% drop from 2023, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Kidnappings, however, reached a historic high with 868 cases reported this year, and several high-profile violent crimes have shocked public opinion.
The perception, reality divide, Araya said, has existed for decades and appeared clearly in Chile’s 1998 Human Development Report, which highlighted persistent fears linked to “the other” and a broader sense of public insecurity. EFE
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