Chile’s president announces reforms targeting organised crime
Despite a recent rise in murders and kidnappings, blamed on foreign criminal groups such as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, Chile remains one of Latin America's safest countries.
Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast plans to push Congress to approve legislative reforms aimed at combating organized crime, according to a national address he delivered on Wednesday. This pledge aligns with one of his primary campaign promises made when he assumed office in March. Despite Chile being considered one of the safer nations in Latin America, recent years have witnessed a surge in murders and kidnappings, attributed to the infiltration of foreign criminal groups, such as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua.
Kast, a 60-year-old far-right lawyer, informed the nation that over 30 bills are already pending in Congress, designed to transform the approach to addressing organized crime in Chile. More legislation is anticipated to be presented in the days to come. The homicide rate in the country rose to 5.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025, twice the figure from a decade ago.
In a bid to formalize Chile's responsibility towards ensuring public security, Kast intends to push for a constitutional reform. This move, he said, will provide a more comprehensive framework for action and effective tools to combat crime.
Kast further expressed his intention to impose stricter penalties for criminal organizations that recruit minors. When faced with criticism over the slow pace of his crime crackdown, Kast opted to dismiss his inaugural security minister, former prosecutor Trinidad Steinert, just 69 days into his tenure.
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