We are used to seeing them patrolling the territory, making checks along the roads, intervening to stop the criminals, preventing crimes, ensuring the maintenance of public order, but the soldiers of the Arma also play an important social role.
In fact, they are engaged in educational activities to legality and prevention of alcohol abuse and narcotics, especially aimed at young people. An activity often unknown, but fundamental, especially in small mountain communities, such as the Cadore countries, in the province of Belluno, where we met the assistant substitute marshal of PS Antonio Alibrandi, commander of the station of S. Stefano di Cadore. A territory that includes six municipalities - S. Stefano di Cadore, S. Pietro di Cadore, Sappada, S. Nicolò of Comelico, Comelico upper, Danta di Cadore - and the two ski areas of Sappada and Padola, for a total of about 10 thousand inhabitants , which become 20mila in the season.
How do Carabinieri carry out education and prevention activities?
<Interveniamo attraverso il contatto diretto con i giovani, attraverso il rapporto continuo con le autorità scolastiche locali e tramite servizi di prevenzione dell’abuso di alcolici e l’uso di sostanze stupefacenti. L’attività di prevenzione viene concordata con il comando superiore diretto - la compagnia di Cortina, al comando del capitano Eugenio Fatone - e non viene curata solo sotto l’aspetto legale, ma anche dal punto di vista umano, con il contatto quotidiano con la cittadinanza.
In particular, we work through dialogue with the boys, both so that they perceive the marshal and the carabinieri as people at their disposal and establish a human and social relationship with them, and to dispel the doubts of these children, who live in particular realities, far from the city.>
Your intervention is especially aimed at young people. How do they work in schools?
What results has this type of activity led to over the years?
How is it welcomed by the community?
<L’attività di prevenzione viene accolta in maniera positiva. La prevenzione è spesso seguita da azioni di repressione, in particolare per l’uso di stupefacenti, la guida in stato di ebbrezza o il bracconaggio. Per quanto riguarda l’abuso di sostanze alcoliche, in questi anni abbiamo assistito a una netta riduzione del problema, con grandi risultati sotto l’aspetto umano e professionale. Grandi bevitori hanno smesso di bere dopo essere stati sanzionati e oggi ci sono grati.
Young people bombard us with questions, showing great interest and curiosity for the institution, but also trust, because they recognize the opening on the part of the Arma. Among the curiosities there are questions such as "what happens if I escape on a moped?", Questions relating to the specific problems of the area, but also to the path to become Marshal of the Carabinieri.
Being interventions within the community, what is your relationship with the institutions and the realities on the territory?
What is the role of the station commander?
Last December, Prefect of Belluno Giacomo Barbato awarded ten honorable citizens the honor of the Order "Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana". Among them was her. What does this recognition mean?
Elisa Di Benedetto
