Surrounded by mountains and oceans, Chile has been historically considered a safe country, especially compared with other Latin American countries.

But in the last few years, Chileans have faced insecurity caused by the arrival of criminal groups that have committed violent crimes previously uncommon.

Despite the still relatively low murder figures compared to other countries, in 2024 there were 1,207 homicides, a slight decline compared to 2023.

But the fear of insecurity continues to grow with almost 40% of households being targeted last year and nearly 30% of people reporting to be victims of some crime.

The emergence of these crimes has had a direct impact on Chileans' perception of insecurity.

A report published in October by the research center Fundación Paz Ciudadana revealed that 23.8% of those surveyed considered it “quite or very likely” that they would be the victim of a homicide in the next 12 months, while 21.3% felt the same way about being kidnapped.

Fear has led the population to take matters into their own hands.

Karim Zahri is the head of security at a protection company with over 28 years of experience.

Over the past two years, his team has been overwhelmed by constant demand for their services, which include bodyguards, armored cars, and secure transportation.

A couple of years ago, Zahri received 10 requests for quotes from new customers each week, but now that number has jumped to between 40 and 50.

There are 5,651 private security companies operating in Chile, a sector that has seen exponential growth of 350% over the last decade, according to a study published in December 2024 by the National Chamber of Commerce (CNC).

The entity also observed a 416% increase in sales in this sector during the same period, which totaled $2.857 billion in 2023 alone.

For routine tasks such as taking children to school or attending a social gathering, Chileans with greater purchasing power can pay $200 for a basic 10-hour escort service.

For those who aren’t able to hire private security, they resort to other measures to try to avoid being victims of crime.

On Sunday, Chileans will go to the polls to elect their next president in a polarized election in which communist Jeannette Jara, the country's former labor minister and far-right José Antonio Kast are emerging as the favorites.

Both have alternated at the top of the main polls and have focused their campaigns on security with similar proposals, which include strengthening the police, expanding the country's prison capacity, modernizing and acquiring new equipment, and training security agents.

Kast is aiming for a heavy-handed policy.

Jara aspires to continue the policies promoted by outgoing President Gabriel Boric, for whom she served as labor minister and whose government has promoted a series of measures to curb the crisis of violence.

Among the measures that recently came into effect are the creation of a Ministry of Security, the approval of a new anti-terrorism law, and the implementation of specific units dedicated to combating different branches of organized crime, such as anti-narcotics and anti-kidnapping brigades.

AP Video shot by Mauricio Cuevas and Esteban Felix