The Chilean Undersecretariat for Crime Prevention began releasing weekly homicide figures this Monday, reporting 21 fatalities recorded between April 6 and midday on April 12.
Undersecretary Ana Victoria Quintana defended the new reporting frequency, stating the measure reflects a "commitment of the Government regarding transparency."
Quintana noted that the data provided by the Undersecretariat covers the total number of completed homicides, measured by victims, without specific categorization. This differs from reports issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office, which often focus on crimes linked to organized crime.
"We are only delivering the weekly information of the victims that reach us through information from both police forces, already purified in terms of not being a police incident, but the victim of a completed homicide," Quintana said.
Regarding potential discrepancies with the Prosecutor's Office, Quintana suggested that the consolidated information rests with the Undersecretariat.
"To me, it seems that if the Prosecution is going to deliver some kind of figure, the ideal would be that they deliver the figures regarding the consolidated total of total homicides that they have and not only those that they qualify as a product of organized crime," she added.
Unified data strategy
Germán Codina, the Presidential Delegate for the Metropolitan Region, praised the implementation of the weekly report as a way to prioritize the fight against violence.
Codina noted that a unified policy for these figures had previously been absent. "It is an effort that shows that the President of the Republic is doing what he does is to give priority to the fight against violence and crime. Because imagine that until now there was no policy to uniform these data," Codina told Radio Agricultura.
He argued that the lack of a single standard led to confusion among the public. "There were diverse sources, there were institutions each on its own, talking about homicides," Codina said.
Codina emphasized that the government's goal is to ensure institutions work together to provide clear information to the public. He noted that the current security situation affects the behavior of citizens.
"Because when people are afraid of being murdered, they are evidently in a situation not only of risk, but it affects the conduct of people," Codina stated.
Quintana added that while the government is open to feedback regarding methodology or frequency, the weekly delivery will continue for now. She clarified that the change in periodicity is not a competition with previous administrations.
"The only thing that we are doing is a change in the periodicity of the delivery," Quintana said.
