Ministry of Public Security (Chile)

The Ministry of Public Security is the state ministry responsible for matters related to public order and internal public security. For these purposes, it centralizes political decision-making in these areas, and coordinates, evaluates, and controls the implementation of plans and programs developed by other ministries and public services concerning the prevention and control of crime, rehabilitation of law offenders, and their social reintegration, as established by law and within the framework of the National Policy on Internal Public Security. It is also responsible for managing administrative matters and processes required by the Law Enforcement and Security Forces to fulfill their functions and that fall under its competence.

Ministry of Public Security

Ministerio de Seguridad Pública
Governmental logo.
Headquarters of the Ministry of Public Security.
Agency overview
Formed	April 1, 2025 (2025-04-01)
Preceding agency	Ministry of the Interior and Public Security of Chile (2011–2025)
Type	Ministry
Jurisdiction	National
Headquarters	Teatinos 220, Santiago, Chile
Minister of Public Security responsible	Luis Cordero Vega
Deputy Ministers responsible	Rafael Collado González, Undersecretary of Public Security Carolina Leitao Álvarez-Salamanca, Undersecretary of Crime Prevention
Parent department	Executive Branch
Parent agency	Presidency of the Republic
Child agency	Subsecretariat of Public Security Subsecretariat of Crime Prevention See Dependent agencies
Website	https://minsegpublica.cl/

It was created by Law No. 21,730, promulgated on January 27, 2024, by President Gabriel Boric.

It consists of two Undersecretariats (Public Security and Crime Prevention). Since April 1, 2025, the lawyer Luis Cordero Vega has served as Minister of Public Security; since April 1, 2025, Rafael Collado González has held the position of Undersecretary of Public Security; and since November 6, 2024, Carolina Leitao Álvarez-Salamanca has served as Undersecretary of Crime Prevention, all under the Gabriel Boric government.^[1]

History

Background

On February 21, 2011, the Ministry of the Interior was renamed as the "Ministry of the Interior and Public Security" following the publication in the Official Gazette of Law No. 20,502, which established the new institutional framework of the ministry,^[2] and which had been previously promulgated under the first government of President Sebastián Piñera on February 10, 2011,^[3] and which had previously been promulgated under the first government of President Sebastián Piñera on February 10, 2011,^[4] replacing the Division of Public Security (DSP) and creating the Undersecretariat of Crime Prevention (SPD), dependent on the renamed ministry. This ensured the administrative dependence of Carabineros de Chile and the Investigations Police (PDI), thus deepening tasks related to public security.^{[5][Note 1]}

On September 3, 2021, the second government of President Sebastián Piñera presented a bill aiming to separate public order affairs from the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security, which would allow "removing the figure of the minister-chief of cabinet from contingencies proper to public security, consequently granting greater political stability." The bill contemplated creating a Undersecretariat of Public Security and that the Undersecretariat of Crime Prevention would become part of this new ministry. Therefore, the Law Enforcement and Public Security Forces: Carabineros and the PDI, together with the ANI and the creation of the National Cybersecurity Agency, would be hierarchically dependent on this future new ministry, if the project is approved by the National Congress.^[6] The project was announced again during President Gabriel Boric’s first public account on June 1, 2022, this time under the name Ministry of Public Security, Civil Protection and Citizen Coexistence.^[7] However, after being approved in the Senate’s first constitutional process in June 2023, the bill names the new ministry as the Ministry of Public Security.^[8] On December 4, 2024, the Chamber of Deputies approved the bill creating this new ministerial portfolio, which should begin functioning between April and May 2025.^[9] Finally, on January 27, 2025, Decree Law No. 21,730 creating this new ministerial portfolio was promulgated,^[10][11] and it was later reported that on April 1, 2025, the new ministry started its functions under the government of President Gabriel Boric, with the Ministry of the Interior returning to its former name of "Ministry of the Interior." Also, the Undersecretariat of Crime Prevention and other agencies dependent on public order, together with the law enforcement and security forces in Chile, became hierarchically dependent on the new Ministry of Public Security.^[12][1]

Start of operations

The ministry officially began operations on April 1, 2025.^[13]

Minister announcement

Following the resignation of former minister Carolina Tohá from the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security, many names were speculated as possible candidates to lead the Ministry of Public Security. The most mentioned candidate was former Minister of Justice and current Undersecretary of the Interior, Luis Cordero Vega, who was confirmed in a national broadcast by President Gabriel Boric.^[14][15][1]

Operations

On February 27, 2025, through a video on social media, then Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Carolina Tohá, revealed the offices of the Ministry of Public Security, located at Teatinos Street 220.^[16]

Functions

The Ministry of Public Security has a series of functions and powers:^[17][18][19]

• Integrated Police Coordination Center (Cicpol): Cicpol is an advisory unit to the Minister of Public Security responsible for identifying risk situations, coordinating complex police operations, and facilitating information exchange among its members and other public and private entities. This unit is composed of officials from the Ministry of Public Security, Carabineros de Chile, and the Investigations Police, and is led by a General Officer of the Law Enforcement and Public Security Forces appointed by the Minister of Public Security.

• National Citizen Protection System: a unique contact mechanism for citizens in cases of crimes, traffic accidents, fires, health emergencies, among others, similar to the 911 system in the United States. It allows a coordinated first response between police, ambulances, municipal security, and the Armed Forces.

• Operation of the Public Security System: a set of public and private institutions that ensure the State maintains public order, internal public security, and promotes crime prevention.

• National Public Security Council and National Crime Prevention Council: coordination and collaboration bodies within the Public Security System that advise the ministry on the development of the National Public Security Policy. The former is composed of the Ministers of the Interior, National Defense, Finance, Justice and Human Rights, the National Prosecutor, the General Director of Carabineros, the General Director of the Investigations Police, and the National Director of Gendarmerie. The latter is composed of the Ministers of the Interior, National Defense, Finance, Justice and Human Rights, Social Development and Family, Education, Housing and Urbanism, Women and Gender Equity, and the General Director of Carabineros.

Organization

Undersecretariats

The ministry has two undersecretariats:^[18]

• Undersecretariat of Public Security:^[1] created in 2025 according to Decree Law No. 21,730 that transfers all public order institutional framework from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Public Security. The Undersecretariat of Public Security is the immediate collaborative body of the Minister in the design, coordination, implementation within its competencies, and evaluation of public policies related to public security, protection of people, public order, organized crime, maintenance of public order, and border security. Dependent on the undersecretariat are:
  • Regional Ministerial Secretariats of Public Security: throughout the national territory, the Ministry of Public Security will have teams led by a Public Security Seremi dedicated exclusively to tasks related to the subject to implement specific measures adapted to each regional reality. Additionally, there will be Provincial Departments of Public Security.^[17]
• Undersecretariat of Crime Prevention:^{[1][Note 2]} created in 2011 under Decree Law 20,502, within the framework of the new institutional structure given to the Ministry of the Interior. It is the immediate collaborative body of the Minister in all matters related to the development, coordination, execution, and evaluation of public policies aimed at preventing crime, rehabilitating, and socially reintegrating law offenders, without prejudice to the exercise of the delegated powers the Minister entrusts to it, as well as the fulfillment of assigned tasks. In 2025, it became part of the Ministry of Public Security, separating from the Ministry of the Interior.

Dependent agencies

The following agencies fall under the Ministry of Public Security:^[18]

• Integrated Police Coordination Center (CICPOL)
• National Citizen Protection System
• Provincial Departments of Public Security
• National Cybersecurity Agency
  • National Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) of Chile
  • Integrated Teleprotection System with Artificial Intelligence (SITia)
• Law Enforcement and Security Forces of Chile:
  • Carabineros de Chile
  • Investigations Police of Chile (PDI)
• Carabineros de Chile Pension Directorate (DIPRECA)

List of ministers

• Parties:

  – Independent (Ind.)

  – Broad Front (FA)

No.	Minister		Party	Start	End	President of Chile
1		Luis Cordero Vega[20]	Ind.	April 1, 2025	Incumbent		Gabriel Boric Font

Notes

1. Both Carabineros de Chile since its creation (in 1927) and the Investigations Police of Chile (in 1933) were administratively dependent on the National Defense Ministry, unofficially forming part of the other main dependencies of the Ministry, the Armed Forces of Chile. When the Ministry of the Interior was restructured (to Interior and Public Security), they came under its dependency.
2. The Undersecretariat of Crime Prevention was created as the successor of the then "Division of Public Security" (DSP).