After 204 years of life, the Carabinieri is "part of society, a mirror of society and an example for society, in terms of rectitude, coherence, internalisation of the sense of duty and responsibility". Thus the Minister of Defense, Elisabetta Trenta, on the occasion of the ceremony for the anniversary of the foundation of the weapon which took place yesterday in the "Salvo D'Aquisto" barracks in Rome in the presence, among others, of the President of the Chamber Roberto Fico , of the Chief of Defense Staff, General Claudio Graziano, and of the General Commander of the Carabinieri, General Giovanni Nistri.
In her speech, the head of the Dicastery underlined how the carabinieri are "citizens among the citizens, who contribute day after day to the collective good".
There is a relationship of trust between carabinieri and citizens "which has its roots in the history of the Arma itself, which since 1814 has been given an operating model inspired by the widespread presence throughout the territory".
Currently the weapon has 4.641 Stations and Tenenze: "every station or tenance of the Carabinieri, in the big city or in the smallest country - added the minister - it is the tangible sign of the presence of the State, a point of reference for honest citizens who do not want to bend to the logic of abuse in places where illegality deeply hurts the social fabric".
Remaining on the numbers, in the 2017, only the Carabinieri stations and tenants have reported from the judicial authority over 321.000 people, and they have arrested more than 42.000, pursuing 1.700.000 crimes, equal to about 69% of those reported to the Police Forces .
Data to which are added the activities aimed at increasing the control of the territory, such as the establishment, on March 1, 2017, of the 14th "Calabria" battalion and the establishment, on May 13, 2017, of the helipad squadron "Cacciatori Sicily ".
The weapon is also involved in the difficult operational theaters in which Italy is called to intervene for the affirmation of the right, freedom and peaceful coexistence in countries torn by conflicts: it participates in 14 different operational theaters in 18 missions with about 500 carabinieri who primarily provide training and consultancy activities in favor of local police forces, in particular in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Cyprus, Somalia, Iraq, Mali, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Djibouti, Latvia, Bulgaria and Niger.
During the ceremony, the President of the Chamber presented the Gold Medal for Civil Merit to the War Flag of the Carabinieri. The Carabinieri National Assistance Service for military orphans and the National Carabinieri Association were also awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by the Carabinieri.
Minister Trenta praised the Carabinieri who today are honored for "the exemplary behavior in service activities in Italy and abroad". 4 Gold Medals were awarded to the Civil Valor, 3 Gold Medals for Civil Merit, and the 6 Award for Station Commands which stood out particularly in service.
At Tor di Quinto there were training regiments representing all the components of the weapon. In closing, the historic Equestrian Carousel carried out by the 4th Carabinieri Regiment on horseback to commemorate the glorious "Charge of Pastrengo" of 1848.
