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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Chile
Index
Crime rates in the early 1990s remained far below those
of the
United States. However, the notion that common crime was
rare in
Chile until the 1970s and 1980s is a myth. Chile's rural
areas were
plagued with outlaw gangs in the early nineteenth century.
The most
notorious gang, Los Pincheira, operated during the 1817-32
period,
purportedly in defense of the cause of the king of Spain.
Based in
the Andes and the heights of Chillán, the four brothers
who headed
the gang--Antonio, Santos, Pablo, and José
Pincheira--wreaked death
and destruction in the provinces of Ñuble and Concepción.
Nineteenth-century historian Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna
described
their rural terror, and Los Pincheira became the subject
of novels
as well. The gang grew to the size of an army, requiring
the
government of Joaquín Prieto Vial (1831-36, 1836-41) to
mobilize
the army to eradicate the group. General Manuel Bulnes was
put in
charge of combating Los Pincheira in its own territory. At
the
command of 1,000 soldiers, Bulnes surprised Los Pincheira
near the
Palaquén lagoons, killing more than 200 bandits in a
pitched
battle. With the defeat of Los Pincheira in 1832, the
government
was able to establish its authority in all of the national
territory.
The crime situation was confusing to analyze under the
military
regime in the 1970s and 1980s because the government and
media
tended to lump ordinary criminal behavior together with
dissident
violence. In the early 1980s, officials were prone to
attribute
bank robberies, assassinations, and shootouts with police
to leftwing extremist organizations, although skeptics often
pointed to
rightist provocateurs or to government agents themselves
as being
responsible for at least some of the incidents. Figures on
crime
and criminals released by the National Statistics
Institute
(Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas--INE) are not very
enlightening
as to the actual status of crime in the country. There are
no
breakdowns of figures according to gender in either the
juvenile or
the adult category, and there are no statistics on prison
populations.
News media have also contributed to a perception that
crime had
increased in the early 1990s, but crime statistics are
still
difficult to obtain. Few, if any, published sources
provide general
crime statistics, with the main exception of figures for
arrests,
readily available in the INE's Compendio
estadístico.
According to sociologist J. Samuel Valenzuela, the general
crime
pattern did not appear to have changed markedly in 1992
from 1980-
91. However, violent crime was reported to have increased,
and the
average age of those committing crimes had declined.
Available figures for 1980-91 show a mixed picture
because some
forms of crime remained stable or declined, while others
had
increased (see
table 47, Appendix). Of those that had
increased,
the biggest jump occurred in the mid-1980s. Crime during
the period
of democratic transition from 1989 to 1991 did not fall
into a
single pattern. The biggest jump in the rate of robberies
occurred
in the mid-1980s. The average rate increased by 82.5
percent
between 1986 and 1988, compared with the first three years
of the
decade. Between 1989 and 1991, the rate increased by 7
percent over
the average in the previous three years. The trend between
1989 and
1991, however, was steadily upward. There was no overall
increase
or decrease in the rate of burglaries. The average for the
1980-91
years was a 17 percent decrease over 1986-88. However, the
rate of
burglaries was higher between 1989 and 1991 than it was
between
1980 and 1982. Like robberies, murders had increased
significantly
in the mid-1980s. In 1986-88 the average rate increased by
27
percent over the 1980-82 years. In 1989-91 the average
rate was a
9.1 percent increase over the previous three years.
A poll conducted by the Center for Public Studies
(Centro de
Estudios Públicos--CEP) and the Adimark Company in March
1993 in
Osorno reveals the existence of a very real fear of crime
in the
country. According to the CEP/Adimark survey, 59 percent
of those
polled perceived more crime than a year earlier. Only 13
percent
felt that crime had dropped. Moreover, 76 percent said
that crime
was more violent, whereas only 8 percent said it was less
violent.
In a retrospective analysis, the study revealed that
citizen
concern about crime rose sharply between December 1989 and
March
1991, with the figure approaching 65 percent in 1991. The
study
also reveals that 59 percent of those polled thought that
the
Carabineros provided the needed assistance. Nevertheless,
some 43.3
percent said they were dissatisfied with police protection
in their
neighborhood; only 37.2 percent were satisfied.
Data as of March 1994
Incidence of Crime
Crime rates in the early 1990s remained far below those
of the
United States. However, the notion that common crime was
rare in
Chile until the 1970s and 1980s is a myth. Chile's rural
areas were
plagued with outlaw gangs in the early nineteenth century.
The most
notorious gang, Los Pincheira, operated during the 1817-32
period,
purportedly in defense of the cause of the king of Spain.
Based in
the Andes and the heights of Chillán, the four brothers
who headed
the gang--Antonio, Santos, Pablo, and José
Pincheira--wreaked death
and destruction in the provinces of Ñuble and Concepción.
Nineteenth-century historian Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna
described
their rural terror, and Los Pincheira became the subject
of novels
as well. The gang grew to the size of an army, requiring
the
government of Joaquín Prieto Vial (1831-36, 1836-41) to
mobilize
the army to eradicate the group. General Manuel Bulnes was
put in
charge of combating Los Pincheira in its own territory. At
the
command of 1,000 soldiers, Bulnes surprised Los Pincheira
near the
Palaquén lagoons, killing more than 200 bandits in a
pitched
battle. With the defeat of Los Pincheira in 1832, the
government
was able to establish its authority in all of the national
territory.
The crime situation was confusing to analyze under the
military
regime in the 1970s and 1980s because the government and
media
tended to lump ordinary criminal behavior together with
dissident
violence. In the early 1980s, officials were prone to
attribute
bank robberies, assassinations, and shootouts with police
to leftwing extremist organizations, although skeptics often
pointed to
rightist provocateurs or to government agents themselves
as being
responsible for at least some of the incidents. Figures on
crime
and criminals released by the National Statistics
Institute
(Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas--INE) are not very
enlightening
as to the actual status of crime in the country. There are
no
breakdowns of figures according to gender in either the
juvenile or
the adult category, and there are no statistics on prison
populations.
News media have also contributed to a perception that
crime had
increased in the early 1990s, but crime statistics are
still
difficult to obtain. Few, if any, published sources
provide general
crime statistics, with the main exception of figures for
arrests,
readily available in the INE's Compendio
estadístico.
According to sociologist J. Samuel Valenzuela, the general
crime
pattern did not appear to have changed markedly in 1992
from 1980-
91. However, violent crime was reported to have increased,
and the
average age of those committing crimes had declined.
Available figures for 1980-91 show a mixed picture
because some
forms of crime remained stable or declined, while others
had
increased (see
table 47, Appendix). Of those that had
increased,
the biggest jump occurred in the mid-1980s. Crime during
the period
of democratic transition from 1989 to 1991 did not fall
into a
single pattern. The biggest jump in the rate of robberies
occurred
in the mid-1980s. The average rate increased by 82.5
percent
between 1986 and 1988, compared with the first three years
of the
decade. Between 1989 and 1991, the rate increased by 7
percent over
the average in the previous three years. The trend between
1989 and
1991, however, was steadily upward. There was no overall
increase
or decrease in the rate of burglaries. The average for the
1980-91
years was a 17 percent decrease over 1986-88. However, the
rate of
burglaries was higher between 1989 and 1991 than it was
between
1980 and 1982. Like robberies, murders had increased
significantly
in the mid-1980s. In 1986-88 the average rate increased by
27
percent over the 1980-82 years. In 1989-91 the average
rate was a
9.1 percent increase over the previous three years.
A poll conducted by the Center for Public Studies
(Centro de
Estudios Públicos--CEP) and the Adimark Company in March
1993 in
Osorno reveals the existence of a very real fear of crime
in the
country. According to the CEP/Adimark survey, 59 percent
of those
polled perceived more crime than a year earlier. Only 13
percent
felt that crime had dropped. Moreover, 76 percent said
that crime
was more violent, whereas only 8 percent said it was less
violent.
In a retrospective analysis, the study revealed that
citizen
concern about crime rose sharply between December 1989 and
March
1991, with the figure approaching 65 percent in 1991. The
study
also reveals that 59 percent of those polled thought that
the
Carabineros provided the needed assistance. Nevertheless,
some 43.3
percent said they were dissatisfied with police protection
in their
neighborhood; only 37.2 percent were satisfied.
Data as of March 1994
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