Italy touts arrests after sending troops in cities


The 400 armed soldiers patrolling Rome didn't seem to bother Renata Zya. They made her feel safe.

The soldiers are part of a deployment that began Monday in cities across Italy to beef up security and free police officers to investigate crimes at a time when many Italians feel law-breaking has grown to unacceptable levels.

"We feel better - at least there is someone around that you can trust and knows how to help you," said Zya, a Polish maid who lives in Rome. "If you look around and see the soldiers, you automatically feel safer."

In Rome and the northern city of Turin on day one of the deployment, at least four people were arrested on petty crime and drug trafficking charges. An additional 50 people had been identified by authorities in Turin, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said.

"I believe we are on the right track to guarantee more safety for citizens, to give them the feeling that the state is there and it is serious about fighting crime," Maroni said at a news conference.

Soldiers were also in Naples, Bologna and Palermo and more will be deployed across the country in coming days, reaching an overall total of 3,000, authorities said.

But the images of soldiers in the streets - such as the 150, some with automatics weapons at the ready, guarding consulates and monuments in the northern city of Milan - may be intimidating to locals and tourists alike, critics say.

Local authorities in Rome seemed to be aware of the potential, and soldiers are not expected to work the capital's historic center.

"The soldiers make you feel safer but it's sad that we need them," said Francesco Santomauro, a priest traveling from Andria, southern Italy. "I think it is a good measure as long as it is temporary.

"If it lasted longer, it would give me a sense of militarization," of the city, he said.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government had proposed the measure as part of a security package that also toughened rules for illegal immigrants, whom many Italians link to crime. The measure, approved by parliament, remains in effect for six months.

But crime in Italy dropped in virtually all categories last year. There were 1.5 million reported crimes in the country during the first six months of 2007, which fell to 1.38 million in the last six months, according to figures released by the Interior Ministry in June.

One category that did increase over the course of 2007 was house burglaries, gone up from 78,000 to 87,000 in the same period.

In Milan, some 150 soldiers were patrolling the Duomo cathedral and other sensitive sites such as the U.S. consulate in the center, where two soldiers in battle dress stood near the main entrance, holding automatic rifles.

Troops guarding embassies and other sensitive targets were armed with machine guns and wear battle fatigues, while those on patrol carried only pistols and wore more reassuring dress uniforms.

Critics say the deployment is little more than a public relations stunt. Roberta Pinotti, the shadow defense minister for the center-left opposition, said it's a coverup for cuts to the budget of police forces.

"No one is afraid of the military, but to use them in cities is a media move to cover up the cuts to security forces," she was quoted as saying by daily Corriere della Sera. "Our soldiers are highly professional but they are not trained to maintain public order."

http://www.kansascity.com/451/story/736111.html

Safe is not exactly the feeling that comes over me when I see armed soldiers running around. But I guess were law enforcement not so corrupt over there, they might not need to dispatch the military. It seems the problems that plagued Sicily through 1950-1990 have resurfaced on the mainland.

Heres to the motherland straightening things out.

to beef up security and free police officers to investigate crimes at a time when many Italians feel law-breaking has grown to unacceptable levels.


I dont think police corruption is the reason.

The Mob might be though!

Definitely the Mob, but I'm thinking they've got their share of cronies in uniform to complicate the situation. This on top of a bunch of social issues that have come up recently. From what I hear the streets of Milan and the less touristy cities are becoming quite filthy. A lot needs to happen in a short amount of time.