Originally Posted by
Kushluk
You are very much overstating this. I've lived in both NYC and SCL for long periods of time. This is like when Chileans bemoan how poor their public services are, then go to NYC to see the ....-strewn flith-caked rat-eaten subway we have here.
Carabineros are decent, professional, and non-corrupt. All carabineros are human beings, y mas encima chilenos, so they are prone to failures just as all humans are, but you are making them out sound like half-assed Venezuelan cops or something, which is in line with existing predjudices, and is entirely incorrect.
Hey, ...? I'm not a newbie here, my friend. I've done my time in Chile and I know what I'm speaking about.
Several years ago I was the victim of a road rage incident in Santiago. It was easy to ID the perp, no question about it. But could I get justice? No way, not a chance. I was the outsider, and the guy that beat me up was a cop.
Now, could that happen elsewhere? Of course it could. But don't get to thinking that all carabineros are "decent, professional and non-corrupt". Because the aren't. Not all of them, anyway.
In no way did I suggest that Chilean police are like their Venezuelan brethren. They aren't. But again, there is a weaker sense of due process here, and as a foreigner you need to be prepared to deal with it.
A propósito, hablo bien en español incluyendo la versión chilena.