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In Italy, municipal police (Italian: polizia municipale) or Polizia Municipale, Polizia Locale, Polizia Comunale or Polizia Urbana. are police of the various municipalities of Italy.
Overview
Some municipal police forces in Italy trace historical origins to the vigili urbani and comes stabili of ancient Rome. Urban policing emerged in the 13th to 14th centuries in the Italian comunes (such as Bologna); although police forces have been assumed to be a modern innovation, these medieval forces had some similarities to modern police forces. Today, Italian municipal forces go by various names, such as polizia communa (comune police), policia urbana (urban police), and polizia locale (local police).
Function
The central functions of municipal police are administrative in character, including traffic control and responsibilities relating to licenses and urban regulations. The municipal police also serve as auxiliaries to security police forces and have responsibilities for local crime prevention and community policing. The competence (jurisdiction) of municipal police are limited to their specific municipality.
Prior to the 1990s, municipal policing in Italy has a marginal role and was viewed as low-level in comparison to the Carabinieri, Polizia di Stato, and other police forces; since that time, the strength and reputation of the municipal policy has been enhanced, particularly in central and northern Italy.
Numbers
There are roughly 60,000 municipal police officers in Italy; since 2011, the Italian regions have been exclusively responsible for coordinating, organizing, and training municipal police.
Equipment
Like most Italian police forces, the Polizia Municipale use a variety of police equipment for the execution of their duties. These include:
- motor vehicles
- firearms and personal defence equipment
- uniform
- equipment
Each commune has slightly different uniforms and equipment, unlike the state's police forces, as each Polizia Municipale is controlled locally, not by central government.
Vehicles
Firearms and Personal Defence Equipment
As is customary with most European and Italian police forces, most agentes are now armed with a personal protection weapon - a pistol. This has not always been the case, but is becoming more common practice. This is generally worn in a pistol holster on a belt, or slung from a tunic pocket flap.
Some sub-machine guns/machine-pistols are also issued, but this is less common.
Weapons include:
Batons are also carried, along with handcuffs, but the most noticeable piece of equipment is probably the paletta, a red and white stop sign used to stop and direct traffic.
Uniforms
Uniforms vary greatly between each Polizia Locale, but the common features include:
- White helmet (similar to the British Custodian helmet) - used for traffic duties
- White-topped, yellow-topped or blue-topped peaked cap (for males) or bowler cap (for females)
- Blue beret
- Blue baseball cap
- Tunics
- Shirts
- NATO jumpers
- Polo-shirts
- Jackets
- Trousers
- Coats
- Black boots/shoes
- White/black gloves
- White waist or Sam Browne belt
- Black belt
Equipment
Radios are used, as well as whistles, notebooks and pens.
See also
Notes
- Daniel Donnelly, Municipal Policing in the European Union: Comparative Perspectives (2013), p. 34.
- Gregory Roberts, Police Power in the Italian Communes, 1228-1326 (Amsterdam University Press, 2019).
- Daniel Donnelly, Municipal Policing in the European Union: Comparative Perspectives (2013), pp. 4, 34.
- ^ Elke Devroe & Paul Ponsaers, "European national police systems and metropolitan realities" in Policing European Metropolises: The Politics of Security in City-Regions (eds. Elke Devroe, Adam Edwards & Paul Ponsaers: Routledge, 2017), pp. 32-33.
- https://www.flickr.com/groups/2508559@N21/pool/
- https://www.flickr.com/groups/2508559@N21/pool/
- https://www.flickr.com/groups/2508559@N21/pool/
- https://ecoaltomolise.net/sindaco-acquista-pistole-la-polizia-locale-solito-pd-buonista-grida-allo-scandalo/
- https://www.civatenews.com/2017/02/01/pistole-alla-polizia-locale-lopinione-dei-civatesi-tra-favorevoli-e-contrari/
- https://gazzettadimantova.gelocal.it/mantova/cronaca/2018/01/06/news/la-polizia-locale-ora-e-armata-il-comune-acquista-due-pistole-1.16318428
- https://www.civatenews.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/polizia-locale-pistola-2-777x437.jpg
- https://gazzettadimantova.gelocal.it/mantova/cronaca/2018/01/06/news/la-polizia-locale-ora-e-armata-il-comune-acquista-due-pistole-1.16318428
- https://www.armietiro.it/bt-apc-9-per-la-polizia-locale-di-cittadella-10340
- https://www.triesteallnews.it/2019/03/30/polizia-locale-tonfa-in-pensione-al-via-il-bastone-estensibile/
- https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQcZ5PpYesgUzvLGXj6-UloAIEaLE-yHJXoA&usqp=CAU
- https://www.repstatic.it/content/localirep/img/rep-parma/2016/02/23/144354522-205eae90-8ca2-4851-b961-e68486f5c33f.jpg
- https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-two-female-police-officers-on-the-ponte-vecchio-florence-tuscany-italy-143099741.html
- https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-two-male-florence-italy-police-officers-patrol-the-street-near-the-37340172.html
External links
Media related to Municipal police in Italy at Wikimedia Commons
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