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Italy: Neighbourhood police patrols:

01 November 2002

On 17 December 2002, Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu launched a proximity policing scheme based on the “poliziotti di quartiere” (neighbourhood policemen) aimed at “striking a blow against crime”. A pilot scheme has been operating in cities including Rome and Vicenza (in the Veneto region) for some months. They are drawn from the ranks of police and paramilitary carabinieri officers involved in administrative functions, so as not to cause a decrease in the number of officers deployed on the territory doing usual duties. The poliziotti di quartiere will patrol the streets in two´s, and will be carrying guns and lap-top computers connecting them to the central police station or a carabinieri station. They will wear special uniforms to distinguish them from other law enforcement services. The deployment of 500 poliziotti di quartiere started on 18 December 2002 in 28 cities distributed in the north (Aosta, Bolzano, Cuneo, Milan, Padua, Reggio Emilia, Turin, Udine and Vicenza), centre (Ancona, Arezzo, Ascoli Piceno, Chieti, Forlí, L´Aquila, Lucca, Perugia and Rome), south (Avellino, Bari, Crotone, Imperia, Lecce and Salerno), and islands (Cagliari, Palermo, Sassari and Siracusa). From 20 January 2003 another 500 officers will be added to the service, and 24 further cities will be involved in the scheme. Interior Ministry press statement, “Armati di computer il poliziotto e il carabiniere di quartiere debuttano in 28 capoluoghi di provincia” (Armed with a computer, the neighbourhood policeman and carabiniere make their debut in 28 provincial capitals), 17.12.02.