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The ''Guardia di Finanza'' (G. di F. or GdF) () (
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
: literal: ''Guard of Finance'', paraphrased: ''Financial Police'' or ''Financial Guard'') is an Italian
law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Education ...
agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. It is a militarized police force, forming a part of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, not the Ministry of Defence. Guardia di Finanza is essentially responsible for dealing with financial crime and smuggling; it has also evolved into Italy's primary agency for suppressing the
illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs throug ...
. It maintains over 600 boats and ships and more than 100 aircraft to serve in its mission of patrolling Italy's
territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...
. They also have the role of border police and customs duties at Italian airports.
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
summarizes the Guardia di Finanza (Ministry of Economy and Finance) as "a force with military status and nationwide remit for financial crime investigations and illegal drugs trafficking investigations".


Mission

The mission and institutional tasks of Guardia di Finanza are stated in the law 189 of April 23, 1959 and 68/2001 and are subdivided into priority ones (preventing, investigating and reporting financial evasions and violations, overseeing the compliance with the provisions of politico-economic interest and surveillance at sea for financial police purposes) and contribution ones (maintaining public order and safety and political-military defense of the borders). The primary mission of the Guardia di Finanza is to protect the legal economy and the businesses operating in compliance with the law, while ensuring that the Republic, the European Union, the regions, and the local governments can rely on a regular inflow and appropriate use of the resources meant for the community, and for supporting policies for economic and social revival and development. Its activities are connected with financial, economic, judiciary and public safety:
tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the tax ...
, financial crimes, smuggling, money laundering, international illegal drug trafficking, illegal immigration, human trafficking,
modern slavery Contemporary slavery, also sometimes known as modern slavery or neo-slavery, refers to institutional slavery that continues to occur in present-day society. Estimates of the number of enslaved people today range from around 38 million to 46 mil ...
, customs and borders checks,
copyright violation Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
s, anti-
Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
operations, credit card fraud,
cybercrime A cybercrime is a crime that involves a computer or a computer network.Moore, R. (2005) "Cyber crime: Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime," Cleveland, Mississippi: Anderson Publishing. The computer may have been used in committing th ...
, counterfeiting currency,
terrorist financing Terrorism financing is the provision of funds or providing financial support to individual terrorists or non-state actors. Most countries have implemented measures to counter terrorism financing (CTF) often as part of their money laundering l ...
, maintaining
public order In criminology, public-order crime is defined by Siegel (2004) as "crime which involves acts that interfere with the operations of society and the ability of people to function efficiently", i.e., it is behaviour that has been labelled criminal ...
, and safety, political and military defense of the Italian
border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
s. Europol (the EU's law enforcement agency), summarizes this force as "organized according to a military structure ... The tasks of the Guardia di Finanza consist of the prevention, search and denunciation of evasions and financial violations, in the supervision of the observance of the provisions of political and economic interest and in the surveillance at sea for financial police purposes. Therefore the Guardia di Finanza is a police force with general jurisdiction over all economic and financial matters; it also contributes to the maintenance of order and public security and to military defense along national borders".


History


Light Troops Legion (1774)

The origins of the Guardia di Finanza date back to October 5, 1774, when the "Light Troops Legion" (''Legione truppe leggere'') was set up under the
King of Sardinia The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia, in particular, of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica from 1323 and then of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1479 to 1861. Early history Owing to the absence of written sources, little ...
,
Victor Amadeus III Victor Amadeus III (Vittorio Amadeo Maria; 26 June 1726 – 16 October 1796) was King of Sardinia from 1773 to his death. Although he was politically conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until he declared war on Revolut ...
. This was the first example in Italy of a special corps established and organized for financial surveillance duties along the borders, as well as for military defense.


Customs Guards Corps (1862)

Once the
unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
was completed in 1862, the "Customs Guards Corps" (''Corpo delle Guardie doganali'') was set up. Its main task was Customs surveillance and co-participation in the Country's defense during wartime.


''Corpo della Regia Guardia di Finanza'' (1881)

By Law no. 141 dated April 8, 1881, the Customs Guards Corps became the "Corps of the Royal Finance Guard" (''Corpo della Regia Guardia di Finanza'') whose task was to "impede, suppress and report smuggling activities and any other violation and transgression of financial laws and regulations", and to safeguard the interests of the tax administration, as well as to co-participate in enforcing law and order and public security.


Twentieth century

By Royal Decree dated July 14, 1907, the Corps was issued 5-point star uniforms to mark its military status, even though the Army's military discipline regulation was extended to the Financial Guard by Law dated July 12, 1908. The Corps served in the two
World Wars A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
and in the
War of National Liberation Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...
, deserving 18 awards to its War Flag, which had been granted in 1914 to decree the total integration among the Italian Armed Forces. Subsequently, the Corps took part in numerous rescue operations during serious natural disasters; for this commitment the Corps was decorated with 13 additional civil valor awards. The re-organization of the police forces in 1919 also affected the Royal ''Guardia di Finanza''. The responsibilities were divided between the Inspector General, who was an Army Officer with the rank of
Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
responsible for military preparation, and the Commanding
General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
, who was a Financial Guard Officer subordinate to the former, but authorized to maintain direct relations with the Minister for ordinary institutional duties and for personnel management. In 1923, the "Investigative Tax Police" was set up as a specialized branch of the Royal Financial Guard. Within a few years, its naval fleet, motor-vehicles and telecommunication structure underwent a complete change; the Statistical Service equipped with a data processing centre, the Air Service and the Canine Service (for anti-drugs checks) were set up. During the same years, the Corps’ general organization was defined pursuant to Law no. 189 dated April 23, 1959, which laid down its institutional tasks, subsequently amended by specific sector provisions assigning certain responsibilities.


Recent history

Besides the review of its organizational structure, laid out by the issuance of Presidential Decree Law no. 34 dated January 29, 1999, the updating of the Corps’ institutional tasks was completed. Law Decree no. 68, dated March 19, 2001, whilst confirming the Corps’ configuration as a military structure, enhanced its role as a police force having general competence on all economic, financial and judicial matters for the safeguard of the public budget and that of the regions, of the local authorities and of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
. The Guardia di Finanza Historical Museum is custodian of the traditions of the Corps. It preserves artifacts of relevance to the Guardia di Finanza and promotes historical research, to aid researchers, scholars and military history enthusiasts.


Chiasso financial smuggling case

On June 3, 2009 near
Chiasso, Switzerland Chiasso (; lmo, Ciass ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is on the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso (a frazione of Co ...
(near the Swiss/Italian border), officers of the Corps detained two Japanese nationals in their 50s who had attempted to enter Switzerland and had in their possession a suitcase with a false bottom containing U.S. Treasury Bonds worth $134.5 billion. These later turned out to be counterfeit.


Organization

The Guardia di Finanza is a militarized police force, ''corpo di polizia ad ordinamento militare'', like the
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
, but forming a part of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, not the Ministry of Defence. Under the minister of finance and economy, the Corps is commanded by a General Commander and a Second-in-Command.


Commands

Under the general command are the following commands: * ''Comando dei Reparti Speciali'' (Special Forces Command) ** Special Unit of the Currency Police ** Central Service for the Investigation of Organized Crime ** Special Unit for Revenue and Public Expenditure ** Unit for the Prevention of Community Frauds ** Special Units Command, which cooperates directly with other government agencies, parliamentary commissions, and other central authorities. * ''Comando Aeronavale Central'' (Central Aeronaval Command) **Aeronaval Operations Command, with one aeromaritime exploration group, and three aeronaval groups. ** Aviation Center ** Naval Center Source:


Territorial organization

; Territorial commands * Six interregional commands * Regional commands, one for each of the 20
Italian regions The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. U ...
. * Provincial commands, one for each of Italy's provinces. ; Territorial units * 74 Groups (of which five are Counter-terrorism Rapid Response Groups) * 104 Financial Police Units * 198 Companies * 202 Lieutenant Units (Stations) * 48 Brigades * 26
Mountain Rescue Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. This tends to include mountains with tech ...
Stations Source: ; Aeronaval units * 15 Aeronaval Operational Units ** 16 Naval Stations ** 41 Operational Naval Sections ** 13 Aviation Sections Source:


Special departments

* Gruppo di Investigazione Criminalità Organizzata (GICO): Organized Crime Investigation Group. * Gruppo Operativo Antidroga (GOA): Counter-narcotics Group * Gruppo Anticrimine Tecnologico (GAT): Counter-cybercrime Group * Gruppo Tutela Patrimonio Archeologico: Stolen Art Recovery Group * Antiterrorismo Pronto Impiego (ATPI): Antiterrorism and Rapid Response Service * Servizio Cinofili: Police Dog Division (K9).


International anti-drug operations

From the statistic data of the anti-drug service central Direction, of the Department of the Interior, 60% of the drug seized in Italy by law enforcement bodies is found by the Guardia di Finanza. The Guardia di Finanza is responsible for 77% of the Heroin seizures, 69% of
Cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
seizures and 54% of
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
(including Hashish) seizures. On 9 August 2018, the Guardia di Finanza intercepted research ship Remus (Panama-flagged) in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was taken to Palermo in Sicily for further investigation, according to Guardia di Finanza. Following the investigation, the authorities discovered 20 tons of hashish hidden in the ship's fuel tanks. The entire Remus crew of eleven has been arrested. All of them are nationals of Montenegro, the authorities informed. The hashish, worth between EUR 150 million and 200 million, was probably destined for the European market. On 31 January 2019 the Guardia di Finanza seized more than 2 tons of cocaine in
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
, northern Italy, which were on board a ship coming from Colombia and heading to Barcelona, Spain. «1,801 pure cocaine cakes, for a total weight of over 2,100 kilograms». The seized cocaine has an estimated value of about 500 million euros: it is the largest seizure of cocaine found in Italy in the last 25 years. On July 29, 2019, the Guardia di Finanza of Genoa seized of cocaine, with the collaboration and undercover agents of the United States D.E.A., the
U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...
and the
Colombian National Police The National Police of Colombia (Spanish: ''Policía Nacional de Colombia'') is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Air Force), it ...
. The drug was in a ship from Colombia and direct to the Calabrian mafia called 'Ndrangheta. On July 1, 2020, a world record in drugs seized by the Italian Guardia di Finanza in Naples: 14 tons of amphetamines, 84 million tablets with logo "captagon" produced in Syria by ISIS/Daesh to finance terrorism. More than 1 billion euro market value. This is the largest seizure of amphetamines in the world, carried out by the Neapolitan Guardia di Finanza in execution of a specific decree issued by the Public Prosecutor of Naples - DDA and developed as part of a complex investigation activity delegated to the GICO (organized crime investigation unit of the guardia di finanza) against a network of criminal groups aiming to import a huge amount of drugs for European consumers. After the lockdown period, due to the epidemiological emergency from Covid 19, in fact, law enforcement activities have been intensified in the specific sector. From the development of the clues that emerged during the investigation and particularly from other seizures previously made, the guardia di finanza tracked 3 suspect containers shipped to the port of Salerno, allegedly containing paper cylinders for industrial and machinery use. After the seizure, the GICO of NAPLES moved the containers to an equipped factory to carry out the internal inspection. The paper cylinders, about 2 meters high and 140 cm in diameter - likely built in Germany - were designed in multilayer in order to conceal the drugs. A perfect wall against the scan detection. In the inner layers, about 350 kg of tablets per cylinder were stored (40 cylinders checked). A total of 14 tons of amphetamines have been found, which means 84 million tablets, bearing the symbol of the "captagon" which distinguishes the "jihad drug" made by ISIS. ISIS / Daesh finances its own terrorist activities especially by means of drug trafficking, the synthetic ones massively produced in Syria, which has become for this reason in recent years the first world producer of amphetamines. The captagon is marketed throughout the Middle East and then widespread both among fighters to inhibit fear and pain and among civilians as a fatigue relief. Initially produced mainly in Lebanon and widespread in Saudi Arabia in the 90s, this drug has also been used by terrorists in the attack to Bataclan on Paris in 2015 - thus becoming the "Isis drug" or "Jihad drug". According to the American DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), ISIS makes extensive use of it in all the territories over which it has influence. Once the chemical plants of production are set, ISIS can easily produce large amounts of tablets for the world market of synthetic drugs, and therefore quickly funding their terror plots. Two weeks ago, still in the port of Salerno, the specialists of the Organized Crime Investigation Group (GICO) of the Guardia di Finanza, detected and seized another container with a roofing load consisting of counterfeited clothing, hiding 2,800 kg of hashish and 190 kg of amphetamines (over 1 million tablets) with the very same symbol (captagon). As for the final dealer, no single criminal group can afford a 1-billion purchase, so the investigators think about a "Consortium" of criminal groups, both for the total value of shipments, and for distribution on the reference markets (85 million tablets can satisfy a European market). The hypothesis is that during the lockdown, due to the emergency worldwide epidemiology, the production and distribution of drugs in Europe has practically stopped and therefore to the recovery many traffickers, even in consortium, have turned to Syria, whose production does not seem to have slowed down. Further investigations are ongoing to identify all the entities linked to this extraordinary seizure. On the June 19, 2021 the Guardia di Finanza, during a special operation fight smuggling and narcotic trafficking, seized 6 tonnes of hashish found aboard a USA flagged yacht off the west coast of Sicily. The three crew members on board the vessel, identified as Bulgarian nationals, were arrested and taken to Palermo prison. According to the police, the street value of the drugs seized, found hidden in the interior of the ship, is approximately 13 million euros. On the June 06, 2022, Italian Guardia di Finanza they have pulled off one of Europe's biggest-ever drugs impoundments, seizing 4.3 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Trieste. Investigators said the criminal gangs that bought the narcotics paid around 96 million euros for it and it would have been sold on the Italian market for a total of around 240 million euros. The operation, coordinated by DDA anti-mafia investigators, saw arrests and other freedom-restricting warrants executed with respect to 38 suspects. Around two million euros in cash was impounded too. Another hard blow to the most important group among Colombian narcotics gangs,” Italian investigators from the northeastern city of Trieste said of the seizure. The Guardia di Finanza agents said their work had uncovered a “dense network” of ties between South American cocaine producers and European buyers, who answered to organized crime groups operating across Italy, including in Calabria, home of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia. The investigation lasted more than a year and involved both the Colombian Police, National Spanish Police and US Homeland Security. Besides the cocaine, police also confiscated 1.85 million euros in cash.


Personnel

The ''Guardia di Finanza'' utilises a rank structure similar to that of other state police forces in Italy, but with ranks similar to the Italian Army. The Guardia di Finanza has around 68,000 members (agents, senior agents, superintendents, inspectors, and
officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
). Its personnel are in service in the Europol and
OLAF Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; Old Norse: ''Áleifr'', ''Ólafr'', ''Óleifr'', ''Anleifr'') is a Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" a ...
(European Agency of Fight against Fraud). Its Latin motto since 1933 has been ''Nec recisa recedit'' ( it, Neanche spezzata retrocede, en, Does not retreat even if broken).


Officers

There are 3,250 officers in the Guardia di Finanza. Officer cadets for the general and aeronaval branches are recruited through competitive examinations open to Italian citizens, not over 22 years of age, with a high school diploma giving access to university studies. Officer cadets for the technical and logistic branches need a bachelor or master's degree, and to be under the age of 32."Entrare nella Guardia di Finanza."
Retrieved 2017-01-15.
Officer cadets for the general and aeronaval branches are trained during three years undergraduate studies at the at the campus in Bergamo, followed by two years graduate studies at the campus in Rome. The successful cadets graduate as First Lieutenants with a master's degree in Economic and Financial Security Sciences."Accademia." ''Guardia di Finanza.''
Retrieved 2017-01-15.
File:Rank insignia of generale di corpo d'armata con incarichi speciali of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, General of Army Corps
(Lieutenant-General); General commanding the Guardia di Finanza. File:Rank insignia of generale di corpo d'armata comandante in seconda of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, General of Army Corps
(Lieutenant-General); Second-in-Command of the Guardia di Finanza. File:Rank insignia of generale di corpo d'armata of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, General of Army Corps (Lieutenant-General); interregional commanders have this rank. File:Rank insignia of generale di divisione con incarico superiore of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Divisional General (Major-General, temporary Lieutenant-General). File:Rank insignia of generale di divisione of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Divisional General (Major-General); regional commanders have this rank. File:Rank insignia of generale di brigata con incarico superiore of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Brigade General (Brigadier-General, temporary Major-General) File:Rank insignia of generale di brigata of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Brigade General (Brigadier General); provincial commanders have this rank.
Source:"Ufficiali Generale." ''Guardia di Finanza.''
Retrieved 2017-01-15.
File:Rank insignia of colonnello comandante con funzioni superiori of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Colonel, temporary Brigadier-General (Brigadier) File:Rank insignia of colonnello comandante con incarico superiore of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Colonel, acting Brigadier-General (Brigadier) File:Rank insignia of colonnello comandante di corpo of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Colonel, commanding officer (Colonel-Commandant) File:Rank insignia of colonnello of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Colonel; some provincial commanders have this rank. File:Rank insignia of tenente colonnello con funzioni superiori of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Lieutenant-Colonel, temporary Colonel (Senior Lieutenant Colonel) File:Rank insignia of tenente colonnello con incarico superiore of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Lieutenant-Colonel, acting Colonel (Senior Lieutenant Colonel) File:Rank insignia of tenente colonnello comandante di corpo of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding officer File:Rank insignia of tenente colonnello of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Lieutenant-Colonel. File:Rank insignia of maggiore comandante di corpo of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Major, commanding officer File:Rank insignia of maggiore of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Major. Source: File:Rank insignia of primo capitano of the Guardia di Finanza.svg,
Senior Captain Senior captain is a rank which is used in some countries' armed forces, navies, merchant marines, civil aviation and in the airline industry. Army In some armies of the world, the senior captain is a rank between a regular captain and a majo ...
() File:Rank insignia of capitano of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Captain () File:Rank insignia of tenente con incarico superiore of the Guardia di Finanza.svg,
First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...
- Acting Captain File:Rank insignia of tenente of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, First Lieutenant (); first rank after graduation from the Academy. File:Rank insignia of sottotenente of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Sublieutenant () (Second Lieutenant); rank after three year at the Academy.
Source:


Inspectors

There are 24,000 inspectors in the Guardia di Finanza. Participation in the competition for the recruitment of inspectors in the general and naval branches is open to Italian citizens aged between 18 and 26 years, having a diploma of secondary school giving access to university studies. Inspector cadets attend the in L'Aquila for three years, at the same time studying at the local university, finally graduating with a bachelor's degree in business law and appointment as warrant officers. Inspectors in the naval branch continue with a year at the nautical school in Gaeta."Opportunita' di scelta e carriera nella Guardia di Finanza." ''InformaGiovanni."
Retrieved 2017-01-15.
Inspectors are formally classified as senior non-commissioned officers, but are according to training and job description more akin to U.S.
warrant officers Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the most ...
. File:Luogotenente_c.s.png, Sub-lieutenant special class () (
Chief Warrant Officer 5 In the United States Armed Forces, the ranks of warrant officer (U.S. uniformed services pay grades, grades W‑1 to W‑5; see ''Ranks and insignia of NATO, NATO: WO1–WO5'') are rated as officers above all non-commissioned officers, Officer ...
); commands Lieutenant Units (Stations). File:Rank insignia of luogotenente of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Sub-lieutenant () (
Chief Warrant Officer 5 In the United States Armed Forces, the ranks of warrant officer (U.S. uniformed services pay grades, grades W‑1 to W‑5; see ''Ranks and insignia of NATO, NATO: WO1–WO5'') are rated as officers above all non-commissioned officers, Officer ...
); commands Lieutenant Units (Stations). File:Rank insignia of maresciallo aiutante of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Adjutant Marshal() (Chief Warrant Officer 4) File:Rank insignia of maresciallo aiutante of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Chief Marshal () (Chief Warrant Officer 3) File:Rank insignia of maresciallo ordinario of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Ordinary Marshal () (Chief Warrant Officer 2) File:Rank insignia of maresciallo of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Marshal () (Warrant Officer 1) File:Rank insignia of allievo maresciallo of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Inspector Cadet ()
Source:


Superintendents

There are 13,500 superintendents in the Guardia di Finanza. Superintendents are recruited through promotion from the ranks of the senior agents. They are trained at a three-months course at the in L'Aquila. File:Rank insignia of brigadiere capo of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Chief Brigadier special class () (Master Sergeant)
''same insignia as Chief Brigadier with star above chevron'' File:Rank insignia of brigadiere capo of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Chief Brigadier () (Sergeant First Class) File:Rank insignia of brigadiere of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Brigadier () (Staff Sergeant) File:Rank insignia of vice brigadiere of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Vice Brigadier () (Sergeant)
Source:


Appointees and Agents

There are 28,000 appointees (senior agents) and agents in the Guardia di Finanza. Competition for appointments as agents trainee is open for Italian citizens with one year's enlistment in the Italian defence forces. Recruits are given basic training at either the Recruit School in Bari or the Alpine School in
Predazzo Predazzo (, literally big meadow) is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Trento, northern Italy. Predazzo is located about 58 kilometres northeast of Trento in Val di Fiemme. It is one of the main centers of Val di Fiemme (the other is ...
. File:Rank insignia of appuntato scelto of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Senior appointee specialist () (
Corporal first class Corporal first class is a military rank in use by many militaries and is usually a non-commissioned officer. Singapore Corporal first class (CFC) is the highest enlistee rank in the Singapore Armed Forces, ranking above corporal. This honourable ...
)
''same insignia as Senior Appointee with star above chevron'' File:Rank insignia of appuntato scelto of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Senior Appointee () (
Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...
) File:Rank insignia of appuntato of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Appointee () (
Lance corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...
) File:Rank insignia of finanziere scelto of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Select Agent () (Specialist) File:Rank insignia of finanziere of the Guardia di Finanza.svg, Agent () ( Specialist)
Source:


Equipment and vehicles


Weapons

* Pistols:
Beretta 92 The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The Beretta 92 was designed in 1975, and production began in 1976. Many variants in several different calibers c ...
, Beretta 84 BB , Beretta 85 BB and Beretta PX4 Storm * Submachine gun: Beretta PM 12 S2,
Beretta PMX The Beretta PMX is a 9 x 19 mm Parabellum caliber submachine gun, designed and manufactured by the Italian company Beretta. The PMX was presented in 2017 and is intended to replace the Beretta M12 as an ordinance weapon of some law enforcement in ...
,
MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...
and MP7 * Assault rifle: Beretta SC70/90,
Beretta ARX160 The Beretta ARX160 is an Italian modular assault rifle manufactured by Beretta. Developed for the Italian Armed Forces as part of the ''Soldato Futuro'' (English: "Future Soldier") program, the ARX160 was launched in 2008 as a commercial weapon s ...
,
M4 Carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively ...
and
HK416 The Heckler & Koch HK416 is a gas-operated assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. It is designed and manufactured by the German company Heckler & Koch. Although the design is based on the AR-15 class of firearm (specific ...
* Combat shotgun:
SPAS-12 The Franchi SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun manufactured by Italian firearms company Franchi from 1979 to 2000. The SPAS-12 is a dual-mode shotgun, adjustable for semi-automatic or pump-action operation. The SPAS-12 was sold to military and police ...
and
SPAS-15 The Franchi SPAS-15 is a dual-mode Gauge (bore diameter), 12 gauge combat shotgun manufactured by the Italian company Franchi (firearms), Luigi Franchi S.P.A. Design The weapon is based on the Franchi SPAS-12, SPAS-12, and has similar pump-act ...
* Sniper rifle: Sako TRG-22/42 and
Heckler & Koch PSG1 The Heckler & Koch PSG1 (''Präzisionsschützengewehr'', German for "precision shooting rifle") is a semi-automatic sniper rifle designed and produced by the German company Heckler & Koch. Development This rifle is said to have been developed ...
*General-purpose machine gun: MG 42/59 *Heavy machine gun:
M2 Browning The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, ...


Cars

*
Fiat Grande Punto The Fiat Punto is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1993 to 2018, spanning over three generations. The third generation of the car was marketed between 2005 and 2009 as the Grande Punto, and between 2009 ...
*
Fiat Nuova Panda The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation. The first generation Panda (Mk 1: 1980–1986 & Mk2: 1986–2003), introduced in 1980, was a two-box, three-door hatchback designed ...
*
Land Rover Range Rover Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...
*
Subaru Forester The is a compact crossover SUV that has been manufactured by Subaru since 1997. The first generation was built on the platform of the Impreza in the style of a taller station wagon, a style that continued to the second generation, while the thi ...
*
Volkswagen Up The Volkswagen Up (stylized as Volkswagen up!) is a city car, part of the Volkswagen Group New Small Family (NSF) series of models, unveiled at the 2011 International Motor Show Germany (IAA). Production of the Up started in December 2011 at th ...
*
Volkswagen Passat The Volkswagen Passat is a series of large family cars manufactured and marketed by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973, and now in its eighth generation. It has been marketed variously as the Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Mag ...
*
Fiat Croma The Fiat Croma name was used for two distinct large family car by Fiat, one a five door liftback manufactured and marketed from 1985 to 1996, and after a nine year hiatus, a crossover station wagon manufactured and marketed from 2005 to 2010. ...
*
Alfa Romeo Giulia Alfa Romeo Giulia () is the name of three not directly related models by the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. The first is a line of sporty four-door compact executive cars (Type 105) produced from 1962 to 1978, the second is an updated, ma ...
* Alfa Romeo 156 *
Alfa Romeo 159 The Alfa Romeo 159 (Type 939) is a compact executive car manufactured and marketed by Alfa Romeo between 2004 and 2011. Introduced at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, as a replacement for the 156, the 159 used the GM/Fiat Premium platform, sha ...
*
Fiat Bravo The Fiat Bravo and Fiat Brava (Type 182) are small family cars produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1995 to 2003 (2001 in Europe). They were effectively two versions of the same car: the Bravo, a three-door hatchback, and the Brava, a fi ...
*
Fiat Stilo The Fiat Stilo (Type 192) is a small family car available as a three- and a five-door hatchback, as well as an estate (Fiat Stilo Multi Wagon), produced by Italian automaker Fiat. The Stilo hatchbacks were presented in March 2001, at the Bologna ...
1.9 JTD *
Jeep Renegade The Jeep Renegade is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by Stellantis under their Jeep marque. It was first shown to the public in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show and production started in late August of that year. , the Renegade is the smal ...
*
Land Rover Freelander The Land Rover Freelander is a compact luxury crossover SUV that was manufactured and marketed by Land Rover from 1997 to 2015. The second generation was sold from 2007 to 2015 in North America and the Middle East as the LR2 and in Europe as the ...
*
Land Rover Defender The Land Rover Defender (initially introduced as the Land Rover 110 / One Ten, and in 1984 joined by the Land Rover 90 / Ninety, plus the new, extra-length Land Rover 127 in 1985) is a series of British off-road cars and pick-up truck, pickup ...
*
Iveco Massif The Iveco Massif is a utility 4×4 vehicle mainly aimed at the utility services and military markets and was part of Iveco’s 4×4 and off-road range, which also includes the Trakker lorry and Daily 4×4 van. Massif was produced by Santana M ...
* Iveco Daily *
Isuzu D-Max The Isuzu D-Max is a pickup truck manufactured since 2002 by Isuzu Motors. A successor of the Isuzu Faster/KB, the first and second-generation model shares its platform with the Chevrolet Colorado. The third-generation model shares its plat ...
* Fiat Scudo *
Land Rover Discovery Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...
*
Nissan Navara The Nissan Navara is a nameplate used for Nissan pickup trucks with D21, D22, D40 and D23 model codes. The nameplate has been used in Australia, New Zealand, Central America, South America, Asia, Europe, and South Africa. In North, Central an ...
*
Jeep Renegade The Jeep Renegade is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by Stellantis under their Jeep marque. It was first shown to the public in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show and production started in late August of that year. , the Renegade is the smal ...
*
Peugeot 3008 The Peugeot 3008 is a compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Peugeot. It was first presented to the public in Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2008, and then again in 2010 at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris, by the French manufacturer Peuge ...
*
Iveco LMV Iveco LMV (Light Multirole Vehicle) is a 4WD tactical vehicle developed by Iveco, and in service with several countries. After its adoption by the Italian Army as the ''Veicolo-Tattico-Leggero-Multiruolo'' (VTLM) ''Lince'' ("Light tactical multi ...


Fixed-wing aircraft


Helicopters


Patrol boats

Source: *Note: G.94 Cappelletti was destroyed by a fire on board on July, 2nd, 2021. All 9 crew escaped without injury. Located in 'Retired' section.


Motorboats

Source:


Inland motorboats

Source:


Sailing vessels

Source:


Training ships

Source:


List of Guardia di Finanza retired vessels (since 1950)


Patrol boats


Litoral patrol boats


Fast crafts


Motorboats


Inland water motorboats


Boats


Training ships


Unit awards

The unit awards, as depicted on the unit coat-of-arms, are: *3 blue and gold ribbons for 3 Gold Medals of Military Valour *4 white and gold ribbons for 4 Silver Medals of Military Valour *1 blue ribbon with VI for six Bronze Medals of Military Valour *1 blue and white ribbon with II for two Crosses of Military Valour *1 green-white-red ribbon with IX for nine Gold Medals of Civil Valour *1 blue and red ribbon, with a cross, for 5 Knight's Crosses of the
Military Order of Italy The Military Order of Italy ( it, Ordine Militare d'Italia) is the highest military order of the Italian Republic and the former Kingdom of Italy. It was founded as the Military Order of Savoy, a national order by the King of Sardinia, Vittor ...
Awards not included in the coat of arms but are included in its State Color are: * 1 Gold Medal of Valor of the Finance Guard (2011) * 1 Silver Medal of Civil Valor * 9 Gold Medals of Civil Merit * 2 separate Medals of Merited Service in Earthquake Relief (1908 and 1915, respectively) * 2 Medals of Benemerited Financial Service * 6 Gold Medals of Benemerited Service to Education, Culture and the Arts * 2 Gold Medals of Benemerited Service to Public Health * 2 Gold Medals of Benemerited Service to the Environment * 1 Gold Medal of Merit of the Department of Civil Defense * 3 Gold Medals of Merit of the Italian Red Cross * UN Peacekeeping Medal (for service as part of UNMIK Kosovo 1995-2004) * Gold Medal of the Eagle of the Republic of Albania (1997-2005) * Military Double Gold Star of Sports Merit (2007)


See also

*
Financial Guard (disambiguation) A Financial Guard is the name of some civilian or military police forces responsible for enforcing financial laws such as taxation or customs. It may refer to: * Financial Guard (Austria), an Austrian civilian police force under the authority of t ...
*
Gruppi Sportivi Fiamme Gialle The Gruppi Sportivi Fiamme Gialle is the sport section of the Italian police force, Guardia di Finanza. The club's activity is carried out in the following twelve sports disciplines: athletics, swimming, judo, karate, shooting, fencing, diving, c ...
*
Law enforcement in Italy Law enforcement in Italy is centralized on a national level, carried out by multiple national forces, helped by few limited local agencies. The Italian law enforcement system is considered complex, with multiple police forces and other agencies ...
*
Tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the tax ...


References


External links

*
The funding of international Islamic terrorism ~ Strategic analysis profiles ~ Guardia di Finanza General Headquarters - 2nd Department – Analysis Unit

Annual Report of the Guardia di Finanza

Counter-cybercrime Group of the Guardia di Finanza
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guardia Di Finanza Customs services Financial crime prevention Organizations established in 1774 1774 establishments in Italy Military units and formations established in 1774 Military of Italy Specialist law enforcement agencies of Italy