Santo Stefano in Aspromonte: inauguration ceremony of the Carabinieri station.

In Santo Stefano in Aspromonte, in the presence of the Minister of the Interior, Prefect Matteo Piantedosi, and the General Commander of the Carabinieri, Army Corps General Teo Luzi, there was the inauguration of the new headquarters of the Carabinieri Station , an important reference point for citizens, a symbol of legality and the visible presence of the State.
The ceremony saw a line-up consisting of the Fanfare of the 12th Carabinieri Regiment “Sicilia”, an honor guard, representatives of the Commanders of the Carabinieri Stations of the Provincial Carabinieri Command of Reggio Calabria and the “Hunters” of the Helicopter Squadron “Calabria”, pay their respects to the Minister of the Interior, accompanied by the General Commander of the Carabinieri.
After the review of the deployed units, the Municipal Administration of Santo Stefano symbolically donated the National Flag, thus carrying out the related Flag Raising ceremony.
The Mayor of Santo Stefano in Aspromonte, Dr. Francesco Malara, highlighted how the city community wants to "grow and improve in the wake of legality as an indispensable principle from which then, only afterwards, can true development and growth be achieved".
Following, the Commander General of the Carabinieri, Gen. CA Teo Luzi pointed out how “this barracks is the result of an important synergy and team effort between all the state and local institutions. It's an example of efficiency. And the efficiency of the institutions is the first antidote against illegality".

The General Commander also stated that the Carabinieri who serve in Aspromonte are boys belonging to Stations which are real outposts of the State. They are Carabinieri who work with their heads held high, with determination, proud not only to represent the State but aware that they themselves are the State.
Subsequently, the President of the Calabria Region, Dr. Roberto Occhiuto, took the floor and thanked the Institutions, underlining how the Calabria Region was the first to have stipulated a protocol with the National Agency for Assets Seized and Confiscated from Organized Crime, which led to the return of numerous confiscated assets to the community, allocating them to legal functions or other social utilities.

The Minister of the Interior, Prefect Matteo Piantedosi, who stated that “This day is particularly symbolic and makes me proud as a citizen and minister because today we celebrate a significant success of the State, that is, the removal of assets from the Ndrangheta which have been returned to the channels of legality”.
At the end, the highest authorities proceeded to cut the ribbon with the relative visit before the final honours.
In Santo Stefano in Aspromonte, the Carabinieri Station was established with a Royal Decree of 24 January 1861, inserting itself into an area with historically complex dynamics.

The building which was inaugurated as the new headquarters of the Carabinieri Station, is an asset confiscated and assigned, in May 2019, to the Carabinieri, also thanks to the interest of the Prefecture and the National Agency for Administration and Destination of Seized and Confiscated Assets. The building was then redeveloped by the Carabinieri.
The Carabinieri Stations, with their widespread diffusion, enhance the ability to "to read" the territory, interpreting its needs and expectations, adopting adherent and timely initiatives.

A proximity - that which binds the force to the citizen - built day after day and characterized by that courtesy and correctness that also make firmness and determination credible when necessary.
The Carabinieri Stations therefore represent, with their daily and silent commitment, a bulwark to protection of safety and legality, and draw their enthusiasm in operating from the pride and satisfaction of being integrally part of the local communities in which they are inserted, corresponding with facts to the unparalleled credit of trust that citizens have always given to the Carabinieri, as the irreplaceable and highest source of gratification.