When we are asked about safety in Chile, our response is that if we had a choice of calling any police force in the World in an emergency ( including developed countries ), it would be the Chilean Carabineros.
The Carabineros are not like the corrupt police of Mexico or Guatemala, where the police are little more than government subsidized criminal organizations. They take great pride in their honesty. In Fact, a quick tip when traveling in Chile is to never try to bribe a Carabinero, unless you are looking for free housing at the local jail for the night.
It would seem that a country as big as Chile would be difficult for a national Police to cover completely. This is not so, as we found out recently in the remote mountains near Futaleufu.
We were four hours by horseback in to the mountains visiting a local land owner, and along comes the Carabineros on horse back. They told us that they patrol the area every 15 days to check on the locals and to check the boarder markers on the Argentina boarder. It seems the Argentineans like to move the markers along the boarder to get a bit more land.
They were also checking an old rancher with a heart condition in a place where there is no telephone. In remote locations such as in the Chilean Patagonia, the Carabineros function as a police force, messenger service, social service, ambulance service, and at times lawyers and small claims court to settle minor disputes before they become serious.
The Carabineros are the domestic police force of Chile. They should not be confused with the more infamous military secret police or the DINA of Pinochet's dictatorship. In fact, the Carabineros get a lot of respect from all sides for their actions during the dictatorship. It was often the Carabineros that acted as buffer between the military and the protesters of the 70's and 80's in Chile. While the different branches of the Military where lavished with large budgets and the latest equipment, the Carabineros had to get by as the poor cousins of the military.
So, as a foreigner or tourist dealing with the police in Chile, don't hesitate to ask for help from the Carabineros. If you are stopped at one of the many check points on the roads around Chile, relax. We have often seen these stops amount to nothing more than a handshake and have a nice day. At worst they will ask you for the papers on your car. Even when foreigners get themselves in to trouble, the Carabineros tend to be fairly easy going and understand that tourist simply don't know better. If your in serious trouble, do what they tell you. Treat them with respect, and they will treat you with respect. Give the Carabineros a chance. They have a big job, and they do it well.
Emergency number anywhere in Chile dial: 131
For general information about the police anywhere in Chile dial: 139
Futaleufu ( Futaleufú ) 
