Chile´s Ministry of Public Security presents the rollout of the "Safe Summer" Plan

The Ministry of Public Security announced this Tuesday, on the coastal edge of Viña del Mar, the national deployment of the "Safe Summer" Plan, an inter-institutional strategy aimed at reinforcing security in the country's main tourist destinations during the summer season.

The initiative, coordinated by the Ministry of Public Security, the Undersecretariat of Tourism, the Chilean National Police (Carabineros), the Investigative Police (PDI), the Directorate General of Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine (Directemar), and security teams from various municipalities, aims to reinforce preventive police services in areas with high concentrations of activity and movement during the end-of-year celebrations. This includes inspecting fireworks, monitoring authorized events, conducting preventive traffic controls, and preventing crimes that affect people and public and/or private property.

As part of this deployment, the Safe Summer Plan also translates into concrete operational capabilities in the territories, highlighting the activation of the Police Operational Base in Viña del Mar, a device that strengthens police coordination, improves the capacity to respond to emergencies and brings the State closer to the people, supporting prevention, guidance to tourists and the handling of complaints during the summer period.

The launch was led by the Minister of Security, Rafael Collado, along with the Minister of Defense, Ricardo Montero; the Acting Director of Order and Security of the Carabineros, Manuel Cifuentes; the Head of the Valparaíso Zone of the Carabineros, General Patricia Vásquez; the Acting Head of the Valparaíso Police Region of the Investigations Police, Prefect Patricio Flores; the Director General of the Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine, Vice Admiral Arturo Oxley; the Mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti; the Regional Director of Sernatur of Valparaíso, Carolina Carrasco; the Regional Ministerial Secretary of Public Security of Valparaíso, Alejandra Romero; and council members of the municipality.

The “Safe Summer” 2025 Plan includes two phases of police deployment. The first, in effect from last Monday until January 27, involves reinforcing the police presence with 587 officers in areas with high tourist traffic. The second phase, which will extend until February 28, will increase that deployment to 789 officers. The regions receiving the largest personnel reinforcements are Arica and Parinacota, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, and Los Lagos.

Acting Minister Rafael Collado emphasized the integrated nature of the plan: “Today we are launching the Safe Summer Plan, a project we have developed over months in conjunction with the Undersecretariat of Tourism, the Carabineros (Chilean National Police), the PDI (Chilean Investigative Police), the Navy, and the municipalities. This translates into temporary police stations, increased staffing, and a coordinated deployment of the security system so that families and tourists can travel throughout Chile with peace of mind. We have reinforced security on highways, at airports, borders, along the coast, and in lake regions, so that the country is prepared to receive national and international visitors. When the State works in a coordinated manner, security is strengthened, and that is the focus of the Ministry of Public Security.”

For his part, the acting Minister of Defense, Ricardo Montero, stated that: “Through Directemar, we have all our resources at our disposal to take care of those who visit our beaches, lakes and resorts, but we also call for responsibility and respect for safety regulations.”

Mayor Macarena Ripamonti highlighted the installation of a special office near Avenida Perú for coordinated work between the police and other agencies. “Today we are inaugurating a new security operations base in Viña del Mar, the country's tourism capital. This space will allow for direct coordination between Public Security, the Carabineros (Chilean National Police), the PDI (Chilean Investigative Police), and the Navy, along with tactical drone deployments to provide an effective response to the community and visitors. Furthermore, we are launching the Safe Summer Plan, with increased police presence and municipal personnel deployed 24/7 throughout the summer season to protect large-scale events such as New Year's Eve at Sea and the Viña del Mar Festival, and to guarantee a safe experience for those who live in and visit the city.”

Finally, the national director of Sernatur, Cristóbal Benítez, praised the launch of the plan, noting that they expect to receive around 5 million tourists during the summer season, with more than one million visitors for New Year's alone, making safety key to a positive travel experience.

Source: SERNATUR.