Municipal police (Italy)

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.

Mounted Polizia municipale in Piazza della Signoria in Florence
Municipal police headquarter with bilingual Italian-French signs, Mont Émilius st, Aosta.

Overview

Some municipal police forces in Italy trace historical origins to the vigili urbani and comes stabili of ancient Rome.[1] 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.[2] Today, Italian municipal forces go by various names, such as polizia communa (comune police), policia urbana (urban police), and polizia locale (local police).[3]

Function

The central functions of municipal police are administrative in character, including traffic control and responsibilities relating to licenses and urban regulations.[4] The municipal police also serve as auxiliaries to security police forces and have responsibilities for local crime prevention and community policing.[4] The competence (jurisdiction) of municipal police are limited to their specific municipality.[4]

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.[4]

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.[4]

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
Polizia Locale number plate

Most vehicles that are used are marked in a variety of green, white, blue, red and stripes with logos.

The following types are used:

Polizia Locale Fiat Panda

Firearms and Equipment

As is customary with most European and Italian police forces, most agentes are now armed with a personal protection weapon - a pistol.[8] This has not always been the case, but is becoming more common practice. [9][10] This is generally worn in a pistol holster on a belt, or slung from a tunic pocket flap.[11]

Some sub-machine guns/machine-pistols are also issued, but this is less common.

Weapons include:

Batons are also carried,[14] 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.

Radios are used, as well as whistles, notebooks and pens.

Uniforms
Cosenza Polizia municipale wearing custodian helmets in dress uniform.

Uniforms vary greatly between each Polizia Locale, but the common features include:[15][16]

  • White helmet (similar to the British custodian helmet) - used for traffic duties[17] [18]
  • White-topped, yellow-topped or blue-topped peaked cap (for males) or bowler cap (for females)
  • Blue beret
  • Blue baseball cap
  • White or Dark Blue Tunics
  • Shirts
  • NATO jumpers
  • Polo-shirts
  • Jackets
  • Trousers
  • Coats
  • Black boots/shoes
Agente of the Polizia Locale del Veneto wearing a bowler cap, typically in white

See also

Notes
  1. Daniel Donnelly, Municipal Policing in the European Union: Comparative Perspectives (2013), p. 34.
  2. Gregory Roberts, Police Power in the Italian Communes, 1228-1326 (Amsterdam University Press, 2019).
  3. Daniel Donnelly, Municipal Policing in the European Union: Comparative Perspectives (2013), pp. 4, 34.
  4. 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.
  5. https://www.flickr.com/groups/2508559@N21/pool/
  6. https://www.flickr.com/groups/2508559@N21/pool/
  7. https://www.flickr.com/groups/2508559@N21/pool/
  8. https://ecoaltomolise.net/sindaco-acquista-pistole-la-polizia-locale-solito-pd-buonista-grida-allo-scandalo/
  9. https://www.civatenews.com/2017/02/01/pistole-alla-polizia-locale-lopinione-dei-civatesi-tra-favorevoli-e-contrari/
  10. https://gazzettadimantova.gelocal.it/mantova/cronaca/2018/01/06/news/la-polizia-locale-ora-e-armata-il-comune-acquista-due-pistole-1.16318428
  11. https://www.civatenews.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/polizia-locale-pistola-2-777x437.jpg
  12. https://gazzettadimantova.gelocal.it/mantova/cronaca/2018/01/06/news/la-polizia-locale-ora-e-armata-il-comune-acquista-due-pistole-1.16318428
  13. https://www.armietiro.it/bt-apc-9-per-la-polizia-locale-di-cittadella-10340
  14. https://www.triesteallnews.it/2019/03/30/polizia-locale-tonfa-in-pensione-al-via-il-bastone-estensibile/
  15. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQcZ5PpYesgUzvLGXj6-UloAIEaLE-yHJXoA&usqp=CAU
  16. https://www.repstatic.it/content/localirep/img/rep-parma/2016/02/23/144354522-205eae90-8ca2-4851-b961-e68486f5c33f.jpg
  17. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-two-female-police-officers-on-the-ponte-vecchio-florence-tuscany-italy-143099741.html
  18. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-two-male-florence-italy-police-officers-patrol-the-street-near-the-37340172.html

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