A disconcerting and inappropriate attack against our Law Enforcement Forces, launched by ECRI, the body of the Council of Europe of which Professor Alberto Gambino is commissioner with reference to Italy within the European body and which, after having contacted us, he is keen to stress that he has distanced himself from the content of the report drafted by two commissioners from Bulgaria and Romania: "...as I, as an Italian, cannot participate in its drafting".
Italy is accused of have a racist and homophobic police force, an unjust and defamatory accusation that has raised a wave of indignation, with the general secretary of the police union Coisp, Domenico Pianese, at the forefront. A document that has sparked discussion among citizens and political representatives, even the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who expressed surprise at a report that seems to ignore the progress made by the country.
Accusations of the last century
It is natural to ask whether these accusations do not hide hypocritical political motivations, which contrast with the concrete facts: Italian institutions have made significant progress in the fight against racism and homophobia. Suffice it to say that since the time of Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti, both the Armed Forces and the Police Forces have supported LGBT civil unions in uniform, marking an important step towards inclusiveness for Western democracies. It is important to remember that both in the Armed Forces and in the Police Forces there is the freedom to have any respectable and transversal political orientation, and there are many who, outside of service, carry out volunteer work in non-profit organizations.
However, it is necessary to focus on the real problems of Italy, those that require immediate and more complicated answers: health, education, wages, river banks, war and, last but not least, security. Leafing through any newspaper, one perceives, especially in Milan and Rome, a growing sense of insecurity among citizens. And those who work to reassure them are the agents themselves, who every day face difficult situations with limited resources. Too often, the police are forced to operate in conditions of economic hardship, with insufficient equipment and, consequently, with a sense of growing frustration even among the local police, now demotivated.
The real problem lies elsewhere: for over twenty years, Italian politics has not been able to implement a serious strategy for integration, allowing the net of illegality to widen. From traffic violations to attacks on teachers, doctors and drivers, the degradation is there for all to see. The news is full of names that do not sound Italian, but the point is not the origin, but rather the inability to manage immigration and integration with clear and applicable rules. Defending those who are victims of injustice is a duty, but it is equally true that the police know how to distinguish between those who break the law and those who are victims of it, acting with professionalism and knowing how to call to order some bad apples who go beyond the limits of the code.
Law enforcement and society
The ECRI's criticisms appear to be an affront to the thousands of Police officers, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza who, every day and without seeking visibility, protect citizens with dedication. Those who make mistakes must be punished, this is out of the question, but It is intolerable that those who serve the State must face the same criminal several times because in Italy the certainty of punishment remains an illusion.. Even more serious is the fact that an agent, in carrying out his duties, must feel intimidated in front of a malicious person for fear of becoming the object of viral criticism, a situation that unfortunately is the order of the day.
To make this trend worse, some rappers also contribute, through their lyrics, to fuel a culture of defiance of authority, exerting a negative influence on young people, often in search of an identity and therefore particularly vulnerable. On the subject, Professor Umberto Galimberti recently offered an interesting point of view, highlighting the inner emptiness that characterizes many young people and makes them fragile in the face of wrong models.
Indecisions present the bill
Italy is still hesitant to adopt the taser as a defense tool, despite the fact that there are just five thousand devices distributed among the Carabinieri, Police and Guardia di Finanza, and about 200 Municipalities where the local Police regularly use it (source Sole24 Ore, 2023). An uncertainty that also involves the Armed Forces, engaged in the operation "Safe Streets", where the soldiers, used as visual deterrents, do not have the training and qualifications necessary to intervene directly, and with the fear of having to pay for legal defense.
The truth is that there is a lack of men, resources and above all the courage to admit that security in Italy is out of control in many sectorsIt is easier to point the finger at the police, accusing them of racism and homophobia, forgetting that today Among our agents there are many operators with non-Italian origins who work with dedication and professionalism.
Photo: State Police