“First of all, we regret the situation that occurred this Monday.” The mayoress of Santiago, Irací Hassler (PC), regretted the acts of violence registered in the Paseo Puente and Plaza de Armas sectors, where a tour guide was stabbed by criminals.
“Our teams quickly made available the images that our surveillance cameras have to the Investigative Police, which is handling this case,” said the community chief, during an activity held in Los Reyes Park. She added: “We hope that It can be found with the people responsible, and that they can have the corresponding sanction in the face of this very serious fact”.
Mayor Hassler appreciated the return of tourists, not only in Plaza de Armas or Santiago, but also at the national level, and pointed out that they will continue to coordinate work with the regional presidential delegation and with the Carabineros regarding security in the area.
“What I see of the Plaza de Armas and Paseo Puente has to do with a need for a job that is permanent, because they are places where there are thousands of people every day, where there is a concentration of economic activity in our country” , he mentioned.
Hassler also regretted that “we are talking about gangs that have operated, organized crime, very serious situations.” Finally, the mayoress of Santiago called for this work (to solve the security problem in the commune) to be sustained. “Especially in what is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, which is in charge of security in our country, and with whom we collaborate in the virtuous occupation, in the images, in the cameras and in different aspects,” she closed.
It is worth mentioning that the victim, identified as Felipe Morales (28), was walking along Calle Catedral with four Jordanian citizens visiting the capital. In the heart of Santiago, they were followed by subjects who tried to rob tourists. Given this, Morales pounced on the strangers, who beat and stabbed him. As reported by the former Posta Central, the victim suffered a right pneumothorax —or collapsed lung— and a serious right diaphragmatic injury. The criminals, meanwhile, fled.
Perimeter closure of Parque de los Reyes begins
The Municipality of Santiago announced the start of the perimeter closure of sector 2 of the Parque de los Reyes, thus accepting one of the demands of residents of the sector, with whom the municipality worked together to advance this iconic project.
This was announced by Mayor Hassler, together with the Metropolitan presidential delegate, Constanza Martínez; the councilors Yasna Tapia and Paola Melo; neighbors of the sector; police authorities and the PDI; and the legal representative of Lexa Construcciones – the company in charge of the project -, Axel Véliz.
The work has a municipal investment of $840 million and is added to the measures already implemented, such as the reinforcement of the security of the place of this important park, green lung of the commune, with increased patrolling in the sector, access to vehicles was blocked , CCTV cameras and new lights were installed. The project has an execution period of 240 days.
Mayor Irací Hassler pointed out that “today the closing works of sector 2 of Los Reyes park begin, in order to protect a public park that is the green lung of our region and that we need to make it available to the public. We want the boys and girls to be able to enjoy the park with peace of mind, that our neighbors feel that they own this space that belongs to them.”
The project considers the acquisition and installation of a metal fence along the entire southern perimeter of sector 2 of the Park, generating controlled pedestrian and vehicular access in:
- Calle G. Bulnes (parking entrance).
- G. Bulnes Street Corner Balmaceda Street.
- Presidente Balmaceda street at the height of Ricardo Cumming street.
- Presidente Balmaceda street at the height of Gral. Baquedano street.
The manufacture and installation of the perimeter fence was contracted through public bidding, which was awarded in August and the contract was formalized in December. The perimeter closure of sector 2 of this park was announced in April of this year.
Due to the large extension of the intervention (1,230 linear meters), it is contemplated to carry out the execution in two sections, beginning in the northwestern sector of the park (Calle Bulnes) up to Ricardo Cumming street and then as a second section moving to the east (Manuel Rodríguez). . The first tasks to be carried out are the installation of the work sign, installation of tasks, demolitions and removals necessary to begin locating the models of bars as of January 2023.
The Presidential Delegate, Constanza Martínez, pointed out “we value the work of this organized community that, together with the municipality, has not neglected the effort to recover its park and grant it to boys, girls, adolescents, and the elderly so that they can enjoy This space. The recovery of public spaces is a central issue for our government because through them we can generate community and improve the feeling of insecurity, which is perhaps the most heartfelt concern on the part of the citizenry”.
Similarly, Juan Pablo Escobar, president of the Balmaceda neighborhood Board of Neighbors, pointed out that the start of these works “are a great step in security for our neighborhood and for the Santiago commune, because as a result of the felling of trees, oil spilled on them and other crimes, is that the decision of this perimeter closure had to be made and we hope that this also contemplates the modernization of our urban park”. In addition, he thanked the work of the Presidential Delegation and the mayoress to stop excessive trade in different parts of the commune.
The construction of Parque de Los Reyes was an urban milestone. Inaugurated in 1992, it was built on 31 reforested hectares in an old garbage dump. The park connects the Mapocho neighborhood with the communes of Quinta Normal, Renca and Independencia. It has an area of 31 green hectares for public use, children’s games, a lagoon and a sports center, and the Persa Parque de Los Reyes (Av. Balmaceda with Brasil).
