translated from Spanish: Comptroller declared illegal decree of the Executive so that FF.AA. continue with joint patrols in Macrozona Sur

The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic declared as illegal Decree 249 sent by the Executive on Thursday, September 30, which sought to authorize the Armed Forces to collaborate and carry out joint patrols with the police in the South Macrozone after the end of the Constitutional State of Exception due to the pandemic. This, in order to carry out prevention tasks, specifically in the provinces of Biobío, Arauco, Cautín and Malleco. However, the agency reported through a statement about its unconstitutionality, indicating that “according to the Political Constitution of the Republic, these tasks are exclusively in charge of the Carabineros de Chile and the Investigation Police.” Therefore, “by virtue of this provision, it is not possible to authorize by decree tasks of prevention and control of public order to the Armed Forces, there being other institutional ways for this objective.” LIMITED ACTIONS Some time ago, the Minister Spokesman of the Government, Jaime Bellolio, had expressed the action that La Moneda would execute on the decree, assuring at that time that the functions of the Armed Forces would be limited to matters of “transport, logistics, technology and information, nothing more, there are no operational means.” It is not that the Armed Forces begin to fulfill the functions of the Order and Security Forces,” he added.

Original source in Spanish