alt=Carabiniere in Bologna|thumb|A [[Carabinieri|Carabiniere in Bologna]]

thumb|Local police officers of Syracuse

thumb|[[Carabinieri and Polizia di Stato during inspections]]

Law enforcement in Italy is centralized on a national level, with multiple national forces, assisted by some local law enforcement agencies. The two main police forces are the Carabinieri, the national gendarmerie, and the Polizia di Stato, the civil national police. The Guardia di Finanza is a militarized police force responsible for dealing with financial crime, smuggling, and illegal drug trade. Border and maritime patrolling are undertaken by the Polizia di Frontiera, a division of the Polizia di Stato, and the Guardia Costiera (coast guard).

The Polizia Penitenziaria (Prison Police) is the national prison police agency, controlling penitentiaries and inmate transfers. The Corpo Forestale dello Stato (State Forestry Corps) formerly existed as a separate national park ranger agency, but was merged into the Carabinieri in 2016. Alongside national police forces,Polizia Locale are also concerned with policing at a local level.

Summary

The Italian law enforcement system is complex, with multiple police forces and agencies handling various duties.

|-

|Guardia di Finanza

|Financial Guard

|Militarized police

|Dealing with financial crime, smuggling, illegal drug trade, patrolling Italy's territorial waters, maintaining public security, and other duties.

|-

|Polizia Penitenziaria

|Prison Police

|Prison officer

|Controlling penitentiaries and inmate transfers

|-

|Polizia Locale

|Local Police

|Civilian police

|Patrolling, investigative, administrative and traffic police

|}

The main forces are managed at the provincial level under the authority of the Questore (the local head of police) in accordance with the Prefetto, the provincial representative of the Government.

Law enforcement is an exclusive function of the State, organized under the Ministry of the Interior, with provincial division and jurisdiction.

The highest office in charge of law enforcement is the ministerial office of "Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza".

In 2005, Italy had 324,339 active police officers, the highest number in the European Union both overall and per capita, twice the number of agents in the similarly sized United Kingdom. In 2020 this was 237,910, behind only France and Germany in the EU.

National police forces

Polizia di Stato

The Polizia di Stato (State Police) is the civil national police of Italy. It patrols the Autostrade (Italy's Express Motorways network) and oversees the security of railways, bridges, and waterways, in addition to patrolling, investigative, and law enforcement duties.

During demonstrations and large events, the Guardia di Finanza is often called on duty as riot police.

Arma dei Carabinieri

Nicknamed La Benemerita (The Meritorious Corps), Carabinieri is the common name for the Arma dei Carabinieri, a gendarmerie-like military corps with police duties.

Carabinieri stations are distributed throughout the country, with a station in approximately every municipality, and additional stations in strategic locations along motorways. The Arma is often called on duty as riot police during large events and demonstrations, fulfilling both military and civil police duties. According to Europol, this force has "4,672 stations and lieutenancies".

SCIP

Interpol's National Central Bureau for Italy is part of the International Police Cooperation Service (SCIP), a branch of the Public Security Department (PSD).

Local Police forces

While policing in Italy is predominantly a national responsibility, Municipal police also serve as auxiliary public safety forces, contributing to local crime prevention and community policing initiatives within their geographically restricted jurisdiction. During the medieval period, urban policing concepts further developed in Italian comunes in the 13th and 14th centuries. These early forms of organized urban law enforcement share some functional similarities with modern police forces, despite being established centuries before the formalization of modern policing.

Provincial Police (Polizia Provinciale)

thumb|Polizia Provinciale car (2013) In addition to municipal forces, some of the 107 Provinces of Italy also maintain a Polizia Provinciale (Provincial Police). These are smaller agencies with a focus on specialized areas of law enforcement within the provincial territory. Their core functions include enforcing regional and national hunting and fishing regulations, wildlife management, and environmental protection. Polizia Provinciale officers also conduct traffic policing, particularly on provincial roads, and contribute to broader security services as directed by provincial authorities.

Sardinia

Sardinia does not have Corpo Forestale officers. Regional law regarding nature, parks, fire, and forestry is carried out by its own regional Corpo forestale e di vigilanza ambientale, established in 1985.

Due to its agricultural and pastoral society, every Sardinian town has both Polizia Municipale and Corpo Barracellare, a volunteer civilian corps. When needed by the municipality, the Corpo Barracellare deals with animal theft, farm robbery, and other farm damages.

Animal Protection

thumb|Volunteers of the Guardie Zoofile

In some areas, an animal protection force, or Guardie Zoofile, rescues animals in distress and protects animals and wildlife. Agents are trained volunteer private citizens with limited powers regarding animal safety.

Law number 189 of July 20, 2004, concerning animal abuse, assigns judicial police functions and qualifications to guards of protectionist and zoophile associations. Agents (recognized by decree issued by the Prefecture) do not have jurisdiction in hunting matters.

Agents ensure compliance with all animal-related municipal, regional, and national laws, and may report violations to the Carabinieri, Polizia di Stato, Polizia Locale, or Forestry Carabinieri.

Equipment

Agents generally wear green uniforms, distinct from the Guardia di Finanza and Polizia Locale. Similar to various local police forces, they may wear combinations of:

  • Beret, mountain cap, or baseball cap (green or black)

Some agents carry firearms (pistols), while others do not, with differing opinions on the matter.

Some agents wear a more formal uniform, a suit similar to Guardia di Finanza and Polizia uniforms.

Guardie Zoofile vehicles are generally marked and equipped with blue lights and sirens.

Historical

thumb|Former Corpo Forestale dello Stato (2013)thumb|right|Group of [[Zaptié in Italian Somaliland (1939)]]

{| class="wikitable"

!Force

!English translation

!Type

!Era

!Former jurisdictions

|-

|Organizzazione di Vigilanza Repressione dell'Antifascismo

|Organization for Vigilance in Repression of Anti-Fascism

|Secret police

|1927 - 1945

|

|-

|Corpo di Polizia Repubblicana

|Republican Police Corps

|Civilian police

| rowspan="2" |1943 - 1945

| rowspan="2" |

|-

|Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana

|National Republican Guard

|Gendarmerie

|-

|Polizia dell'Africa Italiana

|Police of Italian Africa

|Civilian police

|1936 - 1944

| rowspan="2" |

|-

|Zaptié

|N/A

|Gendarmerie

|1889 - 1960

|-

|Corpo Forestale dello Stato

|State Forestry Corps

|Park ranger

|

|

|

|}

Private security

thumb|Two private security cars ([[Fiat Puntos) in Milan 2015 with a Guardia di Finanza van]]

As with most of Western Europe, private security organizations play a part in security of money, valuables, property and people. In Italy, a guard, or security officer, is known as a Guardia di Sicurezza. They may be part of a private security organization, known as a Servizi di Vigilanza Privata and patrol certain areas or guard buildings.

Services

  • Armed and unarmed guarding at banks, shopping centers, courts, museums, construction sites, leisure places, etc.
  • Armed secure transport/cash-in-transit - of money and valuables

Equipment

Some guards are armed (generally with pistols), similar to police, but some are not.

These are generally semi-automatic pistols, or revolvers. The license to carry this must be obtained from the Prefecture by the private security organization, or the hiring organization. This is subject to weapon-handling competency checks and health checks.

Uniforms vary greatly from company to company and are often similar, but distinct, to the state and local police forces. Often marked vehicles are used for security work.

Transportation

thumb|A [[Lamborghini Gallardo of the Polizia di Stato, used for emergency intervention and transport of organs, parked in Piazza Unità d'Italia in Trieste]]

thumb|Carabinieri [[Lotus Evora]]

Until recently, all Italian police forces were equipped with Italian-made police cars, with Alfa Romeos most commonly. A patrol car belonging to Polizia is nicknamed Pantera (Panther), one used by the Carabinieri is nicknamed Gazzella (Gazelle).

Every force has helicopters, trucks and campers (used as mobile offices, usually in undercover missions). In Venice, which is built across several islands linked by bridges and surrounded by water, public security and fire brigades work with boats. In 2004, Lamborghini donated two Lamborghini Gallardo police cars to the Polizia di Stato on their 152nd anniversary.

  • Arma dei Carabinieri patrol vehicles are dark blue with a red stripe along the side. Majority have white roofs. Their telephone number is also featured - "112" (whilst that of the Polizia di Stato is "113"). Their vehicles have registration plates beginning with "CC". Precedently, Carabinieri cars were dark green: the last green (and the first black) Carabinieri car was the Alfa Romeo Giulia.
  • Guardia di Finanza vehicles are dark grey with a thin gold stripe along each side and the words Guardia di Finanza in gold underneath. The vehicle plates begin with the letters "GdiF" in red.
  • Polizia di Stato vehicles are light blue with a white stripe along the side and the word POLIZIA in large letters underneath. The license plates start with the word Polizia in red usually followed by a letter and four numbers. Like the Carabinieri vehicles, the cars were green, but before the green colour, the cars were red.
  • Polizia Penitenziaria vehicles are dark blue with a light blue stripe along the side and Polizia Penitenziaria in white letters under the stripe. License plates have the entire name POLIZIA PENITENZIARIA on them, followed by three numbers and two letters.
  • Corpo Forestale dello Stato vehicles were green with a white stripe and the words CORPO FORESTALE DELLO STATO in white along the side. The vehicle plates began with the letters "CFS" in red. From January 2017 all vehicles have been transferred under the Carabinieri's Comando unità per la tutela forestale, ambientale e agroalimentare. The words "CORPO FORESTALE DELLO STATO" has been replaced with "CARABINIERI", but they still remain green with a white stripe.
  • Polizia Provinciale vehicles are white with a green horizontal stripe along the side.
  • Polizia Municipale the colours of vehicles depend on regional laws. Usually, the cars are white with blue, green or red stripes and the words "Polizia Municipale" or "Polizia Locale" along the side, in some regions car colour can be black or dark grey. License plates have the entire name POLIZIA LOCALE on them and the letter "Y" followed by another letter, three numbers, and two letters.

<gallery>

File:Alfa Romeo Tonale polizia di stato.jpg|Polizia di Stato Alfa Romeo Tonale

File:Police boat venice moving.JPG|A Polizia di Stato boat in Venice

File:Motorcycle BMW R1150rt of italian police.jpg|Polizia di Stato motorcycle

File:Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Carabinieri.jpg|Carabinieri Alfa Romeo Giulia

File:Iveco C-17.JPG|Carabinieri Iveco Daily, used for emergency intervention and transport of organs

File:Carabinieri.motorcycle.in.rome.arp.jpg|Carabinieri motorcycle

File:Pescara 2008 - Marina di Pescara- Iveco Daily - by-RaBoe 001.jpg|Guardia di Finanza Iveco Daily

File:Guardia di Finanza car.JPG|Guardia di Finanza Fiat Grande Punto

File:Vehiculo Guardia di Finanza en Roma.jpg|Guardia di Finanza Alfa Romeo Giulietta

File:GdF Agusta Westland AW109Nexus.JPG|Guardia di Finanza helicopter

File:Stazione mobile polizia provinciale.jpg|Iveco Daily Polizia Provinciale mobile cell site

File:EB-988-GB 030811-066 CPS (6277561376).jpg|Polizia Provinciale Fiat Panda

File:Students demonstration in Milano 2008.jpg|Polizia Locale Alfa Romeo 159

File:Voiture de police rome.jpg|Polizia Municipale Fiat Grande Punto

File:Autopattuglia di Campiglia Marittima.jpg|Polizia Municipale Fiat Panda

File:Polizia.municipale.motorcycle.arp.jpg|Polizia Municipale motorcycle

</gallery>

See also

  • Crime in Italy
  • Judiciary of Italy
  • Law in Italy
  • Organized crime in Italy

References

  • Polizia di Stato (official website) (English; Francais; Espanol; Deutsch)