Army warns of not being trained for public order – La Discusión 2024-02-27 07:47:45

This Wednesday new details of the first session of the National Security Council (Cosena) convened by President Gabriel Boric were revealed. Among other things, the Army and Navy’s resentments regarding the control of public order were made known, as revealed by CNN Chile.

The president called the meeting to “be able to receive comments and contributions about the best way to implement the critical infrastructure project,” this being the first time in more than four years that he has been cited. The last time occurred in October 2019.

At the meeting held on February 5, the highest representatives of the Government, the Armed Forces, the Supreme Court, the Comptroller General of the Republic, the Carabineros and the Investigative Police, among other institutions, were present.

In the minutes of the instance published yesterday, concerns related to the definition of critical infrastructure and the capabilities of the Armed Forces were recorded. For example, the Commander in Chief of the Army, Javier Iturriaga, pointed out that his institution does not have the “adequate training, education or equipment” to protect public order.

Along these lines, he maintained that they are available to collaborate if there is a transition process for the Army’s action in urban areas, as long as there is legal clarity about “duties and roles.” “This requires a robust legal framework that does not promote impunity, but rather the existence of clear rules and adequate legal protection.”

For his part, the commander in chief of the Chilean Air Force, Hugo Rodríguez, asked for clarity regarding the intervention of his officials. He stated that his institution can contribute in “the ability to visualize protection objectives, given that its terrestrial tasks are not very significant.”

The general director of Carabineros, Ricardo Yáñez, stated that it was inconvenient to “establish states of constitutional exception in urban areas,” but shared the concern about protecting certain points. He also highlighted that a systemic vision is missing and, in that sense, said that the creation of the Ministry of Security and Crime Prevention would be a contribution.