Chile 2020 Crime & Safety Report This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Chile. For more in-depth information, review OSAC’s country-specific page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password. Travel Advisory The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses Chile at Level 2, indicating travelers should exercise increased caution due to civil unrest. The Department downgraded the Advisory Level from Level 1 due to the ongoing Chilean civil unrest that began in October 2019. The deteriorated security situation is likely to continue for the near future. Review OSAC’s report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. Overall Crime and Safety Situation The U.S. Department of State has assessed Santiago as being a HIGH-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Crime Threats The security environment in Chile is moderately safe, with comparatively less violent crime than other Latin American countries. Pickpocketing, telephone scams, vehicle thefts, and residential break-ins are the most common crimes against tourists and resident foreigners. Violent crime also occurs, most often in the form of carjacking, home invasion, and mugging; express and traditional kidnapping and random shootings are almost non-existent. According to Carabineros statistics from December 2019, in the Eastern area of the Metropolitan Region, (the boroughs of Vitacura, Las Condes, Lo Barnechea, and La Reina, which are the commercial center of Santiago and higher-income neighborhoods), violent crimes (i.e. theft with violence, theft with intimidation, robbery with surprise, injury, homicide, and rape) have risen in 7% since 2018. The national Crime statistics do not account for civil unrest in the second half of 2019. The Government of Chile will only release final numbers for 2019 at the end of the first quarter of 2020. Carabineros statistics show that theft with violence went from 344 cases in 2018 to 375 in 2019, a 9% rise; and theft with intimidation went from 1,082 cases in 2018 to 1,168 cases in 2019, an 8% rise. Homicide went down from three cases in 2018 to no cases in 2019. Cases of rape reported rose from 31 in 2018 to 46 cases in 2019, a 48% rise. In relation to crimes against property (i.e. vehicle theft, theft of objects or accessories from the interior of the vehicle, robbery of an inhabited place, robbery of an uninhabited place, and other robberies with force and theft), cases went down 4%, from 18,615 in 2018 to 18,168 in 2019. Robbery of inhabited property went up 1% from 1,321 to 1,339 cases. Robbery of an uninhabited property went down 17%, from 1,130 to 933 cases. Chile 2020 Crime & Safety Report Vehicle theft went down 1%, from 745 cases to 737; and theft of objects or accessories from the interior of the vehicle from 4,633 cases in 2018 to 4,132 in 2019. Overall, the Eastern Metropolitan area has had a 2% decrease in crime, from 18,615 cases in 2018 to 18168 for 2019. The Public Prosecutor’s Office and Chilean police agencies cite increased cooperation between municipal governments as the main reason for decreased crime. The three regions with the highest increase in crime from 2018 (in the period of January to August) are the Arica and Parinacota Region (15%), General Carlos Ibáñez Region del Campo (14%), and Maule Region (7%). Of the country’s 16 regions, five presented decreases overall crime. Those with the greatest decreases were Araucanía Region (5%), Biobío Region (3%) and Tarapacá Region (2%). Metropolitan Santiago criminal statistics from January to August 2019 present an increase of 5.3% compared to 2018. Nearly 50% of all crime in the country occurs in the capital region. It is common for Chileans to return home from work after dark and to leave Santiago altogether on weekends; most break-ins occur when residences are empty. Summer vacation for students and many Chilean employees start around December 18 and last through early March; this is the peak residential break-in season. The number of violent residential break-ins remained the same in 2019. When residents are home, burglars use bats, knives, and firearms as intimidation. One tactic involves binding the feet and hands of residents and placing them in a closet while burglars take valuables. Apartments with 24-hour concierges are less likely targets. Non-violent pickpocketing is more common in Santiago than in other areas of the country, although it may happen anywhere. In downtown Santiago, the risk of being a victim of pickpocketing increases on weekends and after dark. Purse snatching and pickpocketing are more prevalent in crowded, tourist locations, pedestrian shopping areas, subway stations, and bus terminals, and on crowded buses and the metro. Criminals often work in pairs, with one distracting the victim with a motion or sound while the other steals the victim’s property. Restaurants, pubs, food courts, and major hotel chains are also popular locations for theft of purses, backpacks, briefcases, and laptops. Be aware of groups of youths, who frequently work together to distract people and then rob them. It is common for thieves to dress in a suit and tie to blend in. Review OSAC’s report, All That You Should Leave Behind. The following are some common criminal trends in Chile: • The “Mustard Trick” happens in airports, public buildings, and on the streets. Someone “accidentally” spills a substance or notices a foreign substance on your clothes. While you are occupied dealing with the problem, an accomplice steals your valuables. • "Motoclock" is a new type of crime mainly characterized by subjects assaulting their victims, specifically snatching watches of great value and fleeing on a motorcycle. In practice, criminals enter as customers in various places, such as bars and restaurants; they observe their potential victims, identifying people who wear expensive watches. Once they identify a victim, the criminals wait for them in the vicinity, usually in places with few people. In some cases, they move on motorcycles Chile 2020 Crime & Safety Report without a license plate, wearing helmets and carrying firearms, proceeding to intimidate the victim and snatch only the watch that they carry. • “Maletazos” is another new criminal trend. Criminals, usually armed, stand outside of hotel entrances. Once taxis or vans pull up to drop off tourists, criminals wait for victims to unload luggage and grab the bags, throwing them into a get-away car. In 2019, reports continued of ATMs blown up by so-called “gas-saturation” in order to steal money. This method entails filling the ATM vestibule with gas fumes and exploding the machine. Often, the criminals destroy the money during these attempts, but sometimes they do not. Usually, these attempts occur in the very late evening hours; on some occasions, criminals have warned people away from the ATMs before exploding them. A “portonazo” refers to a carjacking or robbery attempt while a car is pulling into or out of a ‘porton’ (car gate). There were so many high-profile stories of portonazos in 2017, the government created a task force within the Carabineros to address the problem. As a result, these crimes have immigrated to other boroughs such as La Florida and Puente Alto. Two-thirds of carjacking occurs between 2100 and 0200 in the morning. Attackers armed with guns or knives attack in groups of three, with at least one minor involved. In 2019, the age group continued to be predominantly between 14 and 29. The majority of carjacking occurred when the owners were entering their homes through a gate. There has been a rise in cases where criminals stop vehicles driving on public roads or at exits from highways in Santiago. Other vehicle-related crimes include thieves reaching through open windows to steal valuables and incidents of smash-and-grabs. Criminals have also broken into cars left unattended on the street, even in affluent areas. There has been a rise in gang thefts in malls, especially Parque Arauco in Las Condes, Casa Costanera in Vitacura, and Costanera Centre in Providencia. Criminals specifically target jewelry and high-end stores. Groups of four to six criminals arrive in expensive vehicles, usually well dressed and accompanied by at least one minor. These groups usually carry firearms, and will strike during the day regardless of number of clients in the mall. There has also been an increase in bank robberies in the eastern sector of the city, particularly Las Condes, Vitacura, and Providencia. Armed groups have injured guards, and use getaway vehicles for easy access to highways. Phone scams are common. In most cases, someone will telephone and state that you have won a prize, claim a family member has been in an accident or kidnapped, or insist that the caller is working in your bank and needs your banking/credit card information. Do not give financial information to anyone you do not know over the phone. Review OSAC’s report, Kidnapping: The Basics Credit card fraud remains a concern. Police have uncovered various networks engaged in cloning credit cards and producing fraudulent blank credit cards. Some restaurants have been caught scanning clients Chile 2020 Crime & Safety Report credit cards through skimmers. Review OSAC’s reports, The Overseas Traveler’s Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud and Taking Credit. Cybersecurity Issues Review OSAC’s reports, Cybersecurity Basics, Best Practices for Maximizing Security on Public Wi-Fi, Traveling with Mobile Devices: Trends & Best Practices, and Satellite Phones: Critical or Contraband? Transportation-Safety Situation Road Safety and Road Conditions Road conditions throughout most of Chile are outstanding by South American standards, and are comparable to U.S.