Public prosecutors blame National Police for wrongful arrest of pregnant woman

SANTIAGO.-  Following statements made by the Minister of Interior, Patricio Rosende, who blamed public prosecutors for the instructions followed by police with regards to the wrongful arrest of a pregnant woman, the president of the Association of Public Prosecutors, Marcelo Leiva, has turned the tables, holding the National Police responsible for errors made in the case.

“Police are the ones who carry out the investigations; what the prosecutor does is compile the information obtained during pertinent proceedings, which we understand to be truthful and reliable, from the police”, he told Radio Cooperativa.

Leiva also stated that prosecutors blindly trust in what police tell them and indicated that the entire system is based on that system of trust.

“If the prosecutor had to actually carry out all investigation proceedings, what would we need forty thousand police officers for?  Why would we need nine thousand Investigations agents?”, posed Leiva.