La Spezia, 186th anniversary of the establishment of the Local Police Force

La Spezia, 186th anniversary of the establishment of the Local Police Force

The celebration of the 186th anniversary of the constitution of the was held this morning in Sala Dante Local Police Force.

The morning opened with greetings and the speech of Mayor of La Spezia Pierluigi Peracchini and, following this, the Commander of the Local Police Force Francesco Bertoneri illustrated the report (attached to the email) on the activity carried out by the Corps during 2023.

“The role of the local police – declares the Mayor of La Spezia Pierluigi Peracchini – is really critical in our community. Our agents are a precise point of reference for citizens and visitors, often the first contact with the municipal structure in many situations, from the simplest to the most difficult. The tasks entrusted to them cover a set of activities that is increasingly broad and diversified and to cope with the ever-increasing complexities in recent years we have considerably increased the Corps' staff and invested in technological development with a network of over 570 observation points, with around 230 active cameras, drones and bodycams. It was the right choice which guaranteed important and clear results and we will continue on this path, guaranteeing constant strengthening. Thanks therefore to Commander Francesco Bertoneri and to all the women and men in uniform of our Local Police who every day guarantee their commitment to an increasingly beautiful and livable city."

The Councilor for Security and Local Police Giulio Guerri declares: “Through the daily commitment of our staff, which we have strengthened in number, operational organisation, professional know-how and technical equipment, the Local Police carries out a fundamental activity for the safety, health and decorum of the city: from respect for the Highway Code to the fight against drugs and underage alcoholism; from the fight against environmental crimes and the illegal abandonment of waste to the protection of animals; from monitoring food hygiene to fighting scams against the elderly. With an increasingly high level of collaboration with other institutions and by combining its own institutional services with important initiatives aimed at prevention"

At the end, Mayor Peracchini, Councilor Guerri and Commander Francesco Bertoneri awarded the certificates and merits to the officers who distinguished themselves for their activities, which range from respecting the Highway Code to combating drug dealing, illicit waste trafficking and illegal landfills, thefts, animal abuse, but also complex investigations carried out with other police forces.

In recent years, thanks to the investments made by the Peracchini Administration in personnel, with a significant increase in the numerical contingent, in infrastructures such as the new barracks, the dense network of cameras installed in the city, the security and operational equipment for the officers, the Police Local represents a real point of reference for safety urban and a very valid and precious support for the other police forces operating in the area.

The Mayor, Councilor and Commanders delivered the commendations and praise to the staff who distinguished themselves for particular acts of merit during the year 2023:

First Commissioner Andrea TEAGNO, Chief Commissioner Luca INTROMBATORE, Commissioner Davide DUCE, Deputy Commissioners Laura LUISE, Alberto ARRAS, Matteo CILLO, Davide VIVARELLI, Michela COLOMBO, Gianluca GRIMALDI, Michele PAGANINI. Superintendents Gianni BONATTI, Angelo FEMIANO, Luca CAPRILI, Massimo FOCE, Roberta DODERO, Ilaria PONZANELLI, Luca SCARAMUCCIA, Luca CAPRILI, Manrico GUERRATO, Riccardo CECCHINELLI, Assistants Fabio D'ANGELO and Valeria SALVATORI, Selected Agents Roberto LOFFI, Davide CAPUTO, Simone ROSSI , Stefania BARILARI, Agents Andrea CASTO, Francesca BENEDETTI, Marco RAZZANO, Andrea BERNIERI FAGGIONI, Annalisa LOFFI, Francesca BENEDETTI, Marco RAZZANO, Alessandro CURETTI, Andrea MAGGIANI, Andrea CASTO, Laura D'ANNA, Francesco GIANARDI.

Report by Commander Francesco Bertoneri relating to the data for the year 2023 

"Good morning,
I thank all those present, in particular the Civil, Religious and Military Authorities who honor us with their participation in this Ceremony.

A special thanks to our Bishop Monsignor Luigi Ernesto Palletti, who celebrated mass on the day of San Sebastiano martyr, patron saint of the Local Police, on January 20th.

In the past year, we have constantly collaborated with the Prefecture, which coordinated the use of the Local Police in the relevant activities, in close synergy with the Police Commissioner, the Commander of the Carabinieri and the Commander of the Guardia di Finanza , whom I thank for the constant support, friendship, loyalty and unconditional commitment to service, values ​​that allow our staff to operate in the La Spezia area with a spirit of real connection, which has a positive impact on the activity of protecting the security that the La Spezia police patrols are called upon to guarantee to the city.

I thank the Municipal Administration and in particular the Mayor Pierluigi Peracchini for the words of appreciation, for the sensitivity and closeness continuously demonstrated in the facts, which have also translated into important investments for the use of cutting-edge technologies, such as the continuously expanding city video surveillance system, the electronic control system for access to the city, both available not only to us but also to all the police forces, the new headquarters of the Command, the assignment of bodycams and drones, the hiring of Agents and Commissioners who have allowed us to increase the workforce and, lastly, the purchase of Tasers with the start of the relevant experimentation which will begin in the first days of February, providing a further tool to protect the safety of staff and citizens .

Almost three years have passed since I took office as Commander of the Corps and today, as per tradition, I will provide a summary of the activities that the women and men, who I am honored to represent, have carried out during 2023.

The year just ended, as now happens in a consolidated manner, saw an increase in the commitment of our Agents and Officers, called upon to enforce the laws and regulations in force, with particular reference not only to road safety, but also to the management of the city nightlife and to combat the phenomena of social deviance.

Beyond the results that I will briefly illustrate, I want to underline here how, behind each of them, lies the daily commitment and professionalism of our operators: people who have chosen as their job to put themselves at the service of the community to guarantee the decorum, urban safety and orderly coexistence among the citizens of La Spezia, sometimes even suffering attacks or accidents and having to resort to medical care. For this I also thank each of them.

The agents of the Animal Protection Unit, specialized in dealing with problems especially concerning our 4-legged friends, constantly monitored the city's parks and dog walking areas and handled 15% more reports and complaints compared to the previous year. , contesting 90 administrative violations and reporting 4 subjects to the Judicial Authority for as many episodes of animal abuse.

The activity of the Decorum Protection Unit, carried out in synergy with the Animal Protection and Environmental Auxiliaries, focused mainly on combating the abandonment of waste in the municipal area. The assiduous commitment of the operators, also thanks to the continuous verification of the municipal video surveillance system, was also fundamental in intervening and sanctioning behaviors that are particularly harmful to the environment such as the abandonment of special waste and vehicles in the area. 1029 sanctions were imposed for abandoning waste, while 247 vehicles were abandoned, the majority of them bicycles, however, even in this case there were many administrative sanctions: 59 for the mildest cases and 9 complaints were forwarded to the Public Prosecutor's Office for the most serious ones.

Our agents detected the vast majority of road accidents in the municipal area of ​​La Spezia and, thanks to the specialists of the Accident Sector, the most complex dynamics of even the two fatal accidents that unfortunately occurred in our area were reconstructed. However, it is worth underlining the general improvement in the accident rate trend in the city: accidents with injuries were 320, compared to 378 in 2022; the total number of claims dropped to 1141, from 1303 last year, just as the total number of injured people almost halved, going from 689 in 2022 to 397 in 2023.
It is clear that the lower number of incidents detected must be closely correlated with the increased operational activity in the area of ​​the police force and the Command as a whole which, thanks to the greater number of patrols and targeted checks in the city, they acted in a preventive and deterrent way for imprudent driving behaviour.

The General Prevention and Emergency Response Department of the Corps, i.e. the Agents who are committed to ensuring the safety of traffic and the protection of the city as a priority, in fact also in 2023 stood out for the excellent results obtained, trying to intercept those behaviors that more often they are the triggering cause of most road accidents: therefore excessive speed or distracted driving. 51378 violations of the Highway Code were confirmed, compared to approximately 43000 in 2022; 21516 points deducted, compared to 15547 the previous year; 35 drivers without a license compared to 22 in 2022; 903 omitted revisions, there were 708 in 2022; 177 speeding violations during 87 targeted services with telelaser, all reported immediately to the violators, 300% more than the previous year; 646 fines for cell phone use compared to 490 in 2022; approximately 102 thousand vehicles checked and over 42000 people; 207 licenses withdrawn; 243 electric scooters sanctioned compared to 192 in 2022; 38 drunk driving, 10 more than in the previous year; Patrolling activity was also implemented in the suburbs, where our Liaison Office for Proximity and Public Liveability dealt with 161 cases and complaints from citizens.

In 2023, with regards to the protection of disabled users, 463 sanctions were detected for parking in public reserved spaces, 83 in private areas, while the passes improperly used by relatives without the disabled person in tow were 53, unfortunately increasing by 20% compared to 2022.

The activity of the Judicial Police Section, which has benefited from the infallible intuition of our Jazz, has made it possible to operate more and more effectively in terms of prevention, with the organization of targeted services outside schools, in squares, in parks and in the places where young people gather most, with the aim above all of raising young people's awareness of the negative effects on health and society that drug use causes. The anti-drug dog unit made it possible to carry out over 250 specific services, 15 arrests for drug dealing. And the reporting to the Prefectures of residence of 119 users of various types of drugs.
The work of the Administrative and Provisioning Section is also fundamental which, often also in collaboration with the ASL and Labor Inspectorate, has made it possible to monitor some situations that are dangerous for the health of our fellow citizens. There were 1686 confirmed violations of the Mayor's Regulations and Ordinances, exactly 300 more than in 2022.

The numbers that I have provided in summary so as not to keep you sitting here all day are quite eloquent, from them it is clear how the strengthening decided by the Administration to increase the presence of the Local Police in the area has allowed significant results to be obtained in the various areas in which we are called to operate. Results that were not lacking even in the efforts made to stem the phenomenon of the so-called malamovida, for which services were organized aimed above all at preventing and repressing the consumption of alcohol among minors and behavior that does not respect urban decorum. Particular attention was paid to the authorizations granted on the basis of the TULPS regulations to public businesses, clubs and to the aspects linked to compliance with the relevant noise legislation: 53 specific sanctions in 2023, the result of 1140 checks also aimed at minimarkets and clubs, which they also made it possible to contest violations regarding the sale of alcohol to minors or obvious drunkenness. This has made it possible, in agreement with the competent municipal offices, to issue increasingly stringent regulations and to apply measures to suspend or revoke authorisations, for situations that have proven to be particularly irregular, annoying and detrimental to urban safety.

Numerous activities were carried out in 2023 in collaboration with ASL, Labor Inspectorate, but also with voluntary and third sector associations such as the Civic Grandparents, the National Association of State Police, Life on the Sea Onlus and Impronta Independent volunteers of the municipal dog shelter, who I thank all for the contribution provided and for the important results and services provided, especially the Civic Grandparents who help us a lot every day at the city schools.

The increase in the operational activity of the Corps has seen all the staff involved at 360°, in matters ranging from compliance with the Highway Code, to Environmental and Building protection, to the protection of Animals and Decorum, to the Food and Administrative Police , registry checks, accidents and, more generally, all aspects of urban safety. This also resulted in an increase in the workload of the offices that deal with the management of minutes, appeals and back office activities, which in any case they managed to manage optimally. Here I therefore want to thank all our operators for the results obtained, which can be attributed to their commitment: commitment which led the Command to refer 784 people to the Judicial Authority in 2023, compared to 700 in 2022.

Finally, I thank you all for the closeness and esteem that you demonstrate to us today with your presence, and I now invite the personnel who particularly distinguished themselves in service in the year just concluded to prepare for the collection of the certificates for commendable service, by of the Mayor Pierluigi Peracchini and of the Councilor for Security and Local Police Giulio Guerri who I invite to join me on stage.

Finally, I ask you to pay attention to the reasons for the rewards, because they also constitute a way to better understand the different and varied fields in which my collaborators are called to operate on a daily basis. Thank you".