Chile's main police force, the Carabineros de Chile, is publicly perceived as the most legitimate institution of the country with even higher levels of confidence than the one of the government or...Show moreChile's main police force, the Carabineros de Chile, is publicly perceived as the most legitimate institution of the country with even higher levels of confidence than the one of the government or the Catholic Church. This is surprising and exceptional in the Latin American context, since the Carabineros have been actively involved on the side of the military regime during the dictatorship. Moreover, crime rates have kept rising since the return to democracy in 1990. This thesis seeks to investigate how the Chilean police has been able to construct such high levels of police legitimacy from 1990 to 2015. Furthermore, it explores the role of the media and the perception of insecurity in constructing police legitimacy.Show less
