Bolzano: Intensified controls to ensure safety and fight crime

Arranged by order of the Police Chief of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano Paolo Sartori, they were specific general prevention services were carried out to protect public order and safety, with a view to ensuring that citizens can enjoy all urban spaces. In addition to this, in the streets of the historic centre there have been the usual extraordinary services "anti Movida Violenta" were carried out”, which involved operational units of the State Police, the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza and the Local Police, integrated by the military of the “Safe Streets” Operation and with the specialized support of the Crime Prevention Unit of the State Police and the POLFER.

The City of Bolzano, therefore, was the scene of numerous checks carried out by over 55 women and men belonging to the Police Force and aimed, as in the previous phases, at prevention and fight against property crimes, drug dealing and predatory crime in general. In particular, the areas of Via Museo, Piazza Erbe, Piazza Mazzini, Via Maso della Pieve, Via Alto Adige, Parco dei Cappuccini, Parco delle Religioni, Via dei Cappuccini, Via Perathoner, Via Garibaldi, Piazza Parrocchia and Via Isarco, the Railway Station and the surrounding streets were monitored – thanks to the effective prevention action implemented by the POLFER –, as well as the streets of the historic centre. Special attention has been paid, during the aforementioned services, to those areas where the presence of individuals dedicated to drug dealing is usually recorded as well as those reported for the commission of illicit activities.

During the control operations inside the Parco dei Cappuccini a 37 year old Italian criminal, already the recipient, in the recent past, of a Mandatory Expulsion Order from the Municipality of Bolzano issued to him by the Police Chief, was caught violating the aforementioned Personal Prevention Measure; for this reason he was reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office for violating the Order of the Provincial Public Safety Authority. On this occasion they were approximately 1 grams of hashish and 2 grams of heroin were found and seized, packaged in doses ready to be sold and hidden near the place where the 37-year-old criminal was stopped.

Furthermore, they were Prevention and attendance monitoring interventions were carried out at the “TWENTY” and “CENTRUM” Shopping Centres, and some abandoned buildings were inspected already the scene of similar police operations, as well as the Lungo Isarco and Lungo Talvera walks, reported by citizens which meeting places for homeless individuals, sometimes illegally present on our national territory, as well as used as a point of reference for the carrying out of illegal activities. In this context, they have also been clear traces of the use of these places as makeshift bivouacs were found. This type of checks aims to monitor these areas, in order to avoid the consolidation of critical situations for public order and safety.

Then, the Police Chief ordered one monitoring and prevention service in the areas near some schools in the Municipality of Bolzano, also following reports from parents who had expressed the importance of carrying out checks in the vicinity of the Schools during the influx and outflow of students. These monitoring activities are aimed at prevent ill-intentioned individuals from approaching children in front of schools, luring them into illegal situations or offering them the purchase of drugs. During these specific police activities, no particular critical situations were highlighted.

Overall – even during the 7 Checkpoints carried out along the arteries leading to the city – they were 9 public establishments, 93 vehicles and 312 people were checked, of which 109 were foreigners and 102 with criminal and/or police records. At the end of the operational activities – in which the Anti-Crime Division and the Immigration Office of the Police Headquarters also collaborated, for their respective areas of competence – the Police Chief adopted the following Provisions:

• 4 Mandatory Street Sheets (from the Municipality of Bolzano) against persons burdened by criminal and/or police records, who were found in the municipal territory without any appreciable reason and in unjustified circumstances;
• 3 Oral Notices (Prevention Measure provided for by the Code of Anti-Mafia Laws) against as many Italian and foreign citizens who denote a marked social dangerousness due to criminal and/or police records for crimes of various kinds, including crimes against the person, drug-related crimes or crimes against property;
• 2 Access Bans to the Urban Areas of the City Centre (DACUR) – against the same number of individuals with criminal convictions, Italian citizens, responsible for harassing and provocative behavior towards other people;
• 4 Expulsion Decrees / Orders of Removal from the National Territory against the same number of non-EU citizens which, during the checks, are irregular results in Italy and with criminal and/or police records against them. Following the investigations carried out by the Immigration Office, the Police Commissioner has taken action against these people issued as many expulsion decrees, ordering these people to leave the territory within 7 days; if they do not comply, they will be reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office and forcibly escorted to their country of origin.

“Extraordinary territorial controls constitute an effective and flexible tool to better direct prevention and repression activities, with the aim of providing quick responses to the legitimate security needs of citizens – highlighted the Police Commissioner Sartori –. It is absolutely necessary to avoid that urban contexts with a high level of civil coexistence such as the one in Bolzano become stable points of interest for criminals and offenders. The collaboration of citizens, associations, trade organizations and high institutions operating in the various sectors serving the community, It is essential to better orient control activities on the territory, ensuring an increase in actual and perceived safety".