Last Friday, the Government reported the results of the National Urban Survey of Citizen Security (Enusc 2022), which revealed a significant increase in citizens’ perception of insecurity. The figures at the national level were worrying, since 90.57% of those surveyed believed that crime increased in the country.
The survey, carried out in conjunction with the Undersecretary of Crime Prevention and the National Institute of Statistics (INE), revealed its results corresponding to 2022, which also provided regional figures.
According to the analysis, the perception of insecurity in the region was higher than the national average, reaching 94.23%. Furthermore, Ñuble is the third region that feels most insecure, only behind Tarapacá and Arica and Parinacota.
The first version of the survey was carried out in 2003 and since 2005 it has been carried out annually, which is why it became a reliable measurement when it comes to knowing and obtaining information about the perception of insecurity, the reaction to crime and the victimization of people.
Other numbers accounted for the household victimization rate, that is, those houses that have suffered some type of crime of greater social connotation, such as robbery with violence, vehicle theft, robbery with force in the home or theft. The figure in the region reached 14.31%, well below the national average, which reached 21.76%
The contrast was generated with the personal victimization rate, those who have been individual victims of some type of crime with greater social connotation. Ñuble recorded one of the lowest figures, scoring 3.42%.
Although the victimization rate is high compared to other years, it should be noted that it decreased compared to previous surveys. If the 2022 survey revealed that Ñuble reaches 14.31%, in 2019 it was 19.2% and in 2018 it was 23.8%. Of course, it rose almost 0.5 percentage points compared to 2021, when it reached the figure of 13.8%.
Paradox in the numbers
Although there is a high perception of insecurity in the Ñublensina population, there is a low figure in terms of victimization, which is lower, in both cases (both individual and household), than the national average.
For the regional coordinator of Public Security of Ñuble, Jorge Muñoz, the perception of insecurity is related to the “moment in which the study was carried out.”
Muñoz maintains that “in the case of the high perception of increased crime, it is a figure that has a correlation at the national level and in the particular case of Ñuble, it also speaks of the moment in which the study was carried out, the period in which events occurred. events of great public shock that transcended the entire region.”
While the low figure in victimization is due, according to his vision, to the “efforts and coordination work with all State institutions, which has allowed the establishment of short-range goals that have been positive and are reflected in the low victimization, which is lower than national parameters.”
The coordinator concluded by saying that “from the Undersecretariat, we continue in this line of coordination, redoubling efforts, generating synergy with the private sector, providing more and better tools to our police and local governments, for the reduction of insecurity and prevention of the crime.
The presidential delegation also referred to these figures. The presidential delegate(s) of Ñuble, Valentina Pradenas, mentioned that, despite the increase in the victimization rate compared to 2021, this figure “remains low compared to the period between 2014 and 2019.”
The authority noted that “as a Delegation we are working with all relevant actors so that citizens feel safe and protected. We are promoting various actions, such as the Streets Without Violence Plan, with very good results, also the Safe Street plan and the launches of the Focused Rounds of Carabineros de Chile.”
