The ''Polizia di Stato'' (
State Police
State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...
or P.S.) is one of the national
police forces of Italy.
Alongside 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 ...
, it is the main police force for providing police duties, primarily to cities and large towns, and with its child agencies it is also responsible for highway patrol (''
autostrade
The Autostrade (; singular ) are roads forming the Italian national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about . In North and Central Italy, the Autostrade mainly consists of tollways managed by Autostrade per l'Italia, a ho ...
''), railways (''ferrovie''), airports (''aeroporti''), customs (together with the ''
Guardia di Finanza
The ''Guardia di Finanza'' (G. di F. or GdF) () (English: literal: ''Guard of Finance'', paraphrased: ''Financial Police'' or ''Financial Guard'') is an Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. ...
'') as well as certain waterways, and assisting the local police forces.
It was a
military force
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
until 1981 when the Italian State Law 121 was passed. This converted the State Police to a civil force, which is in contrast to the other main police forces of Italy: the ''
Arma dei 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 ...
'', which is a
military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...
(
gendarmerie
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
) force and the ''
Guardia di Finanza
The ''Guardia di Finanza'' (G. di F. or GdF) () (English: literal: ''Guard of Finance'', paraphrased: ''Financial Police'' or ''Financial Guard'') is an Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. ...
'', the Italian customs and border protection police that also falls in the military corps category.
The ''Polizia di Stato'' is the principal Italian police force for the maintenance of public security and as such it is run directly from the ''Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza'' (Department of Public Security), and the keeping of public order (''ordine pubblico'').
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 primary focus of this force: "Its responsibilities include investigative and law enforcement duties, and the security of motorway, railway, and waterway networks".
History
While the modern Polizia di Stato was created in 1981 with the merger of the many civil police services of Italy, its roots date back to 1852 as the police force of the then
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
.
It is successor and heir to the traditions of military and civil police organizations under both monarchy and republic.
Before unification
On 11 July 1852, the King of Sardinia
Victor Emmanuel II
Victor Emmanuel II ( it, Vittorio Emanuele II; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia from 1849 until 17 March 1861, when he assumed the title o ...
established the Public Security Guards, a prototype city police service created to serve Turin and Genoa for the protection of their citizens (Law no.1404), and also formed detachments of municipal police. This date is marked as the official anniversary of the State Police.
At that time there were a number of provincial National Guard and Municipal Militia battalions, plus cavalry platoons detached from the army and Carabinieri.
Unified Italy
In 1859, given the current situation in regards to the
Unification of Italy
The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...
, the Public Security Guards became the national civil police ''defacto'' of a unified Italian nation. Law 3570 (13 November 1859) officially introduced police inspectors into the growing force, and to ensure the security of the residents of a number of provincial capitals and other major cities, the ''questori'', appointed by the leadership with Royal assent, were also introduced becoming the police chiefs of these areas.
On 9 October 1861, the General Directorate of Public Security of the Kingdom was formally established (Royal Decree 225) to serve as the central authority for civilian law enforcement.
Mission
Europol (the EU's law enforcement agency), provides this summary of the force's responsibilities: "protecting the state, safeguarding the rights and freedoms of citizens, supervising the maintenance of public order, maintaining public safety, providing assistance to public entities and private in the event of accidents and disasters as well as the peaceful resolution of disputes between private individuals. It also deals with the training and education, at its facilities, of members of other police bodies... speciality departments include the Traffic, Railway, Communications Police, the Mobile Departments and the Scientific Police".
Strength
The State Police has an authorised strength by law of 115,000 people. However, there are approximately 110,000 people of which 16,000 are women. Just under 6,000 employees are civilian support personnel with technical skills who provide logistic and technical support. In 2005 the State Police contained 105,324 members as follows: 893 ''dirigenti'' (leaders/officers), 1,839 ''vice questori'' (Vice-Questors), 723 ''commissari capo'' (Chief Superintendents), 19,230 ''ispettori'' (Inspectors), 666 ''vice ispettori'' (Sub-inspectors), 13,677 ''sovrintendenti'' (Sergeants), 38,976 ''assistenti'' (Senior agents), and 29,320 ''agenti'' (Constables/Agents).
Approximately 1,500 officers are assigned to the "neighbourhood police" service, the ''Polizia di Quartiere'', which has a police presence on the streets and deters crime. Pairs of ''poliziotti'' (policemen) patrol areas of major cities on foot.
Organization
The headquarters of the ''Polizia di Stato'' are in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and its chief is referred to as the ''Capo della Polizia'' (''
Chief of the Police'') with official Rank of ''Capo della Polizia – Direttore Generale della Pubblica Sicurezza'' (''Chief of the Police – Director General of the Public Security''). The Chief of the State Police is also the Honorary President of the ''National Association of State Police'' (''Associazione Nazionale della Polizia di Stato''). Three vice chiefs/directors-general report to the chief and their main functions are:
* accomplishment of the functions
* planning and coordination activity
* Director of the Criminal Investigation Police
The force is organized on a regional and provincial basis. The territory of the Italian Republic is divided into 20 regions. They include 107 provincial commands – one each in the 14 metropolitan cities (''città metropolitane''), 80 provinces (''province''), 6 free municipal consortiums (''liberi consorzi comunali'', the formal provinces of
Sicily
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, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
), 4 abolished
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
(man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
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, demographics1_footnotes =
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provinces, 2 autonomous provinces –
Bolzano – Alto Adige and
Trento
Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...
and 1 in Valle d'Aosta, which is an autonomous region with no provinces nor akin administrative subdivision at all. The administrative centre of each provincial command is the local headquarters, called ''Questura'' which is commanded by a ''Questore'' (that is also the highest State Police authority for the province – ''Autorità Provinciale di Pubblica Sicurezza'' – ''Provincial Authority of Public Security''). The only exceptions are the 2 recently created provinces (Barletta-Andria-Trani (established by law in 2004, operational since 2009) and South Sardinia (established in and operational since 2016). The territory of each province is further divided into Public Security Offices (''Commissariati di Pubblica Sicurezza''), commanded by a ''Vice Questore Aggiunto'' or ''Commissario Capo'' (''Chief Commissioner''). The lowest public security authority is the police station or precinct (''Stazione di polizia'').
Headquarters organization
Main Offices, Divisions and Specialties of the State Police (''Uffici, Reparti e Specialità della Polizia di Stato''):
* State Police Band (''Banda Musicale della Polizia di Stato'')
* Data processing and computer center (''Centro Elaborazione Dati'')
* Interregional and Regional Collection Centers (''Centri Raccolta Ragionale ed Interregionale'')
* Central Directorate for the Criminal Police (''Direzione centrale della polizia criminale'')
* Central Anticrime Directorate (''Direzione centrale anticrimine'')
* Central Directorate for the Anti-Terrorism Police (''Direzione centrale della polizia di prevenzione'')
* Central Direction for the Instruction Institutes (''Direzione Centrale per gli Istituti d'Istruzione'')
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for Civil Aviation and Ministry of Transportation (''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza preso il Ministero dei Trasporti e dell'Aviazione Civile'')
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for Ministry of the Economic Development (''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza preso il Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico'')
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for Ministry of Labor and the Social Politics (''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza presso il Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali'')
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for Palace of the
Viminale
The Viminal Hill ( ; la, Collis Vīminālis ; it, Viminale ) is the smallest of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. A finger-shape cusp pointing toward central Rome between the Quirinal Hill to the northwest and the Esquiline Hill to the southeast ...
(''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza presso il Palazzo del Viminale'') The Viminale is the headquarters of the Italian Ministry of Interior;
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for the Senate of the Republic (''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza presso il Senato della Repubblica'')
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for the Chamber of the Deputies (''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza presso la Camera dei Deputati'')
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for the
Vatican City
Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—'
* german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ')
* pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—'
* pt, Cidade do Vati ...
(''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza presso la Città del Vaticano'')
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza presso la Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri'')
* General Inspectorate of Public Security for the Presidency of the Republic (''Ispettorato Generale di Pubblica Sicurezza presso la Presidenza della Repubblica'')
* Central Operational Core of Security (''Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza – N.O.C.S.'')
* Gaming and Betting police (''Polizia dei Giochi e delle Scommesse'')
* Alpine Aid (''Soccorso Alpino'')
* Postal and Communications Police (''Polizia Postale e delle Comunicazioni'')
* Immigration and Border Police (''Polizia dell'Immigrazione e delle Frontiere'')
* Air Border Police (''Polizia di Frontiera Aerea'')
* Maritime Police (''Polizia Marittima'')
* Railway Police (''Polizia Ferroviaria'')
* Scientific Police (''Polizia Scientifica'')
* Highway Police (''Polizia Stradale'')
*
Police Mobile Units (''Reparti Mobili'')
* Mounted Divisions (''Reparti a cavallo'')
* Artificers Units (''Unità Artificieri'')
* K-9 Units (''Unità Cinofili'')
* Superior School of Police (''Scuola Superiore di Polizia'')
* Police Air Command (''Reparti Volo'')
* Medical Service (''Servizio Sanitario'')
* Gold Flames (''
Fiamme Oro
The Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Oro is the sport section of the Italian police force Polizia di Stato.
The color of the competition jerseys of the athletes of the Fiamme Oro is crimson, therefore the athletes of the sports group are sometimes called ' ...
'')
Interregional organization
The Interregional Directorates (''Direzioni Interregionali''), organized since 2007, are:
*
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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,
Aosta Valley
, Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title = Official languages
, population_blank1 = Italian French
...
and
Liguria
Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
(HQ:
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
);
*
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
and
Emilia-Romagna
egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title ...
(HQ:
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
);
*
Veneto
Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona.
Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...
,
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
it, Trentino (man) it, Trentina (woman) or it, Altoatesino (man) it, Altoatesina (woman) or it, Sudtirolesegerman: Südtiroler (man)german: Südtirolerin (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title = Official ...
and
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
(man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman)
, population_note =
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(HQ:
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
);
*
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
,
Umbria
it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
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and
Marche
Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...
(HQ:
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
);
*
Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
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,
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
and
Abruzzo
Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
(HQ:
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
);
*
Campania
Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
,
Molise
Molise (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Neapolitan, Mulise) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise, alongside the region of Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effe ...
,
Basilicata
it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman)
, population_note =
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and
Apulia
it, Pugliese
, population_note =
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, demographics1_title1 =
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(HQ:
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
);
*
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
and
Calabria
, population_note =
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, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
(HQ:
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
).
Questure
There is a ''Questura'' in each of the 105 Italian provincial capitals. It is responsible for all the activities carried out by the Polizia di Stato within the province.
Commissariati di Pubblica Sicurezza
In major cities and highly populated towns, there are police stations named ''Commissariati di Pubblica Sicurezza'' (''Public Security Offices''). Each ''Commissariato di Pubblica Sicurezza'' is under the Authority of a ''Questura''. Their task is to control, prevent and fight crime in their jurisdiction, and to deal with paperwork as to, among other things, requests for gun licences, passports, permits, and regularization of foreigners.
''Polizia di Quartiere'' is the ''
Quarter Police''. Pairs of ''Poliziotti'' (Policemen) patrol areas of major cities on foot.
Special operations
About 24,000 officers, that is almost a quarter of police personnel, work within the Highway Patrol (''
Polizia Stradale
The Polizia Stradale is the national highway patrol of Italy and is a sub-directorate of the Italian State Police.
The ''Polizia Stradale'' patrols the 7,000 kilometers of motorways (''autostrada'') in Italy and the main highways and arterial roa ...
''), Railroad Police (''Polizia Ferroviaria''), Postal and Telecommunications Police (''Polizia Postale e delle Telecomunicazioni'') and Border and Immigration Police (''Polizia di Frontiera'').
Highway patrol
The ''
Polizia Stradale
The Polizia Stradale is the national highway patrol of Italy and is a sub-directorate of the Italian State Police.
The ''Polizia Stradale'' patrols the 7,000 kilometers of motorways (''autostrada'') in Italy and the main highways and arterial roa ...
'', or ''PolStrada'' for short, is a
highway patrol
A highway patrol, or state patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is prima ...
organization. PolStrada police public roads all over the country, including the of motorways (''autostrada''), the main highways and arterial roads outside towns. Their duties are the prevention and detection of driving offences, car accident reports, planning and carrying out of services to regulate traffic, providing escorts for road safety, protection and control of the road network, rescue operations and cooperation in the collection of traffic flow data.
Railway Police
The ''
Polizia Ferroviaria'', or ''PolFer'' for short, ensure the security of travellers and their belongings on trains and at stations plus the safety and control of dangerous goods. Railroad Police officers patrol, in particular, long-distance and night trains, and at stations in big cities where vagrants often accumulate. ''
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) is the Italian railway infrastructure manager, subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), a state-owned holding company. RFI is the owner of Italy's railway network, it provides signalling, maintenance and other ser ...
'' and other ''
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...
'' companies co-operate fully with the railroad police in dealing with railway security for passengers.
Post and telecommunications
The
Polizia postale e delle comunicazioni
The Polizia Postale e delle Comunicazioni (Postal and Communications Police) is one of the units of the Polizia di Stato, the State Police of Italy. Its functions include the investigation of cybercrime.
History
PolTel has been created in 1981 a ...
, or ''Polizia Postale'' for short, investigates all crimes that use communications as part of its modus operandi such as computer hacking, online child pornography, credit card fraud, spreading computer viruses or software copyright violations.
Immigration and Border Police
To control the flow of migrants into Italy, the Department of Public Security set up the Immigration and Border Police Service (Polizia di Frontiera), to enforce regulations concerning the entry and stay of aliens in Italy. The service operates at both central and local level with many land, air and maritime border police offices.
The service is also responsible for passport control, the issuing of residence permits, as well as the prevention and control of illegal immigration. Although due to the
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
the land borders have disappeared, the division is still present on all borders to do systematic or random checks. In airports, the border police are in charge of security (hand baggage searches are done by airport companies or
private security companies
A private security company (PSC) is a business entity which provides armed or unarmed security services and expertise to clients in the private or public sectors.
Overview
Private security companies are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta ...
but are supervised by the Polizia di Frontiera and by the
Guardia di Finanza
The ''Guardia di Finanza'' (G. di F. or GdF) () (English: literal: ''Guard of Finance'', paraphrased: ''Financial Police'' or ''Financial Guard'') is an Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. ...
) and immigration checks.
Mobile units
There are 13 mobile units of "Reparto Mobile" located in the main Italian cities. These can be deployed throughout the country to maintain public order with crowd-control equipment and vehicles or perform rescue services in areas affected by natural disasters. These units employ personnel that are trained and equipped for their task.
The P.d.S.'s bomb disposal units, mounted detachments, canine units, air support squadrons and maritime and river police units all fall under the mobile unit HQ.
Anti Terrorism Police
The Anti Terrorism Police is a specialist body made up of the Central Directorate for the Anti Terrorism Police and of the Branches for ''General Investigations and Special Operations Division'' (
DIGOS
Digos, officially the City of Digos ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Digos; fil, Lungsod ng Digos), is a 2nd class component city and capital of the province of Davao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 188,376 people.
...
– ''Divisione Investigazioni Generali e Operazioni Speciali''), located in the ''questure'' at the local level. The Directorate for the Anti Terrorism Police has two departments: one is mainly responsible for information collection and analysis while the other develops and coordinates investigations aimed at preventing and fighting terrorism. The ''
Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza
The ''Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza'' (NOCS) ( en, Central Security Task Group) is the police tactical unit of the Polizia di Stato, one of Italy's national police forces. It operates under the command of the ''Direzione Centrale della P ...
'' (Central Operational Core of Security) is the State Police's elite
police tactical unit
A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. A police tactical unit's tas ...
.
Training
Recruit training is carried out at the police academy and at an advanced school for senior police officers. There are schools for basic training of cadet officers and technical operators, for teaching police specialities, for instructors, pilots, dog handlers and mounted police officers and the community police school.
Weapons
The standard
service pistol
A service pistol, also known as a personal weapon or an ordnance weapon, is any handgun issued to regular military personnel or law enforcement officers. Typically, service pistols are revolvers or semi-automatic pistols issued to Officer (armed ...
of the ''Polizia di Stato'' is the
Beretta Model 92FS; other sidearms might be made available to police personnel according to necessities and assignments. In addition, a
Beretta PM-12S submachine gun
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...
is issued to every squad car. Other firearms, such as the
Beretta 70/90 assault weapons system,
Heckler & Koch 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, ...
sub-machine guns and
Benelli shotguns are in service with the corps and can either be issued to the general personnel according to particular necessities or to the specialities the officers are assigned to. A
40mm grenade
40 mm grenade (also styled 40mm grenade) is a generic class-name for grenade launcher ammunition ( subsonic shells) in caliber. The generic name stems from the fact that several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in 40 ...
launcher, the
GL-40/90, manufactured by
Luigi Franchi S.p.A.
Luigi Franchi S.p.A. () is an Italian manufacturer of firearms, a division of Beretta Holding.
Franchi products include the military SPAS-12 and SPAS-15 and the sporting-type long-recoil action AL-48. Franchi manufactures over and under, and ...
under license from Heckler & Koch of Germany is the standard issue weapon for
riot control
Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is spontaneous and irration ...
operations.
Vehicles
![Police boat venice moving](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Police_boat_venice_moving.JPG)
The State Police use Italian vehicles ranging from 1994
Fiat 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 ...
s to the
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 ...
2,4 JTD, and the
Alfa Romeo 155
The Alfa Romeo 155 (Type 167) is a compact executive car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 1992 and 1998. It was unveiled in January 1992 at Barcelona, with the first public launch in March 1992, at the Geneva Motor S ...
8v and foreign makes such as the
Subaru Legacy
The is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru since 1989. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its class for offering all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Legacy was sold ...
SW and
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 thir ...
,
BMW E46
The fourth generation of the BMW 3 Series range of compact executive cars is designated under the model code E46, which was produced by the German automaker BMW from 1997 to 2006, and was the successor to the E36 3 Series which ceased producti ...
and
E91, and the
Volvo XC70
The Volvo V70 is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2016 across three generations.
The name ''V70'' combines the letter ''V'', standing for ''versatility'', and ''70'', denoting relative platform size (i.e., a ...
.
In May 2004 the PdS received two
Lamborghini Gallardo
The Lamborghini Gallardo (; ) is a sports car built by the Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini from 2003 to 2013. It is Lamborghini's second car released under parent company Audi, and best-selling model with 14,022 built throughout its ...
s equipped with V10 engines and in the classic blue white livery with accessories such as a container for transporting organs and a
defibrillator
Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). A defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current (often called a ''coun ...
. The cars are used on the
A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria and the
A14 Bologna-Taranto motorways.
![2june 2007 508](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/2june_2007_508.jpg)
On 29 November 2009, one of the two Gallardos was severely damaged in an accident while returning from a public display in
Cremona
Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...
: it crashed into some parked cars while avoiding another car which crossed the road illegally. The Gallardo was fully insured, and is currently being repaired by Lamborghini itself.
On 30 March 2017 the PdS received the second
Lamborghini Huracán
The Lamborghini Huracán (Spanish for "hurricane"; ) is a sports car manufactured by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini replacing the previous V10 offering, the Gallardo. The Huracán was revealed online in December 2013, making its w ...
equipped with V10 engines and 520 bhp in the classic blue-white livery with accessories such as a container for transporting organs and a defibrillator.
Rank structure and insignia
Directors of Police
The directors of police are not sworn police officers, but senior civil servants, and are not uniformed.
* (Chief of Police – Director General of Public Security) is the chief of the Polizia di Stato, and head of the Department of Public Security in the Ministry of Interior and as such in charge of coordinating all Italian police forces.
* (Deputy Chief of Police)
* (Deputy Director General – Director of Central Criminal Police)
* (Deputy Director General), in charge of planning and coordination.
Executive Officers
Director Officers
Inspectors
Superintendent
Agent and Assistant
Decorations awarded to the State Police
* 1 Knight's Cross 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 ...
* 17 Gold Medals of Civil Valour
* 14 Gold Medals of Civil Merit
* 3 Silver Medals of Civil Merit
* 1 Bronze Medal of Civil Merit
* 2 Bronze Medals of Militar Valour
* 1 Gold Medal of Public Health Merit
* 1 Bronze Medal of Civil Defense Excellence 1st Class
* 2 separate Medals of Merited Service in Earthquake Relief (1908 and 1915, respectively)
* UN Peacekeeping Medal (for service as part of UNMIK Kosovo 1995-2004)
See also
*
Italian Police
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polizia Di Stato
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
National law enforcement agencies of Italy