Chilean President José Antonio Kast Unveils Comprehensive Security Agenda and Constitutional Reform

President José Antonio Kast announced a major legislative offensive to combat organized crime and terrorism during a national broadcast on Wednesday. The centerpiece of the plan is a proposed constitutional reform that would establish the protection of public security as a formal duty of the state. This reform aims to provide the government with broader legal powers and more effective tools to fight criminal organizations. The broader legislative package, titled the Agenda against Organized Crime and Terrorism (ACOT), consists of more than 30 initiatives. These include increasing the flagrancy period for arrests from 12 to 24 hours, strengthening border controls with drones and trenches, and creating specialized penitentiary regimes for organized crime members.

Minister of Security Martín Arrau stated that approximately 15 new projects will be introduced in the coming weeks, with the goal of passing the agenda before the end of the year. Other proposed measures include the criminalization of membership in criminal organizations, the seizure and destruction of assets linked to organized crime, and the permanent police deployment in the 50 most critical neighborhoods. Additionally, the government is evaluating a new type of state of exception that would allow Carabineros to lead interventions in high crime areas with support from the Armed Forces. This would include providing legal protections for security forces acting in self defense.

President Kast also used the broadcast to highlight the completion of a separate economic megarreforma, which he described as a path for Chile to return to growth. He invited the opposition to join this effort while criticizing left wing sectors that he claimed are clinging to failed policies.