Mobile Unit (Italy)

Last updated
Distinctive vehicle insignia for Mobile units vehicles. Polizia di Stato - Reparto mobile.jpg
Distinctive vehicle insignia for Mobile units vehicles.

In Italy, the Mobile Units (Italian : Reparti Mobili) of the Polizia di Stato, often generically identified as a "Celere Units", are the police units used as a ready-to-use resource for riot control and for intervention in areas affected by disasters.

Italy republic in Southern Europe

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.

Italian language Romance language

Italian is a Romance language. Italian, together with Sardinian, is by most measures the closest language to Vulgar Latin of the Romance languages. Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City and western Istria. It formerly had official status in Malta and it is still understood in Monaco and to some extent in Corsica and Savoie. It used to be an official language, even if not a native language for the most of the population, in the former Italian East Africa and Italian North Africa. Italian is also spoken by large expatriate communities in the Americas and Australia. It also has official minority status in Croatia and Slovenia. Many speakers are native bilinguals of both standardized Italian and other regional languages.

<i>Polizia di Stato</i> government agency

The Polizia di Stato is one of the national police forces of Italy.

Contents

Currently there are 15 mobile departments and are located in the cities of Rome, Turin, Florence, Reggio Calabria, Milan, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Catania, Bologna, Padua, Cagliari, Senigallia, Bari and Taranto. [1] [2]

Rome Capital city and comune in Italy

Rome is the capital city and a special comune of Italy. Rome also serves as the capital of the Lazio region. With 2,872,800 residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), it is also the country's most populated comune. It is the fourth-most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. It is the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, which has a population of 4,355,725 residents, thus making it the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber. The Vatican City is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city: for this reason Rome has been often defined as capital of two states.

Turin Comune in Piedmont, Italy

Turin is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Turin and of the Piedmont region, and was the first capital city of Italy from 1861 to 1865. The city is located mainly on the western bank of the Po River, in front of Susa Valley, and is surrounded by the western Alpine arch and Superga Hill. The population of the city proper is 878,074 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The Turin metropolitan area is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 2.2 million.

Florence Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 383,084 inhabitants in 2013, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.

History

Iveco Eurocargo 4x4 of the Polizia di Stato. Iveco Eurocargo 4x4 II Serie RMPS.jpg
Iveco Eurocargo 4x4 of the Polizia di Stato.

The history of the Mobile Units dates back to the second post-war period.

Establishment of the Celere units

At the end of the Second World War, the main requirement of the police apparatus was to restore public order in the chaotic period. The Corps of Guards of Public Security had on the territory the so-called "Mobile Units", created for tactical purposes and therefore equipped with heavy weaponry that had to fulfill defensive tasks of the territory in case of external invasion: mortars, submachine guns, T17 armoured vehicles, "Lince" armored cars were part of the equipment of these operational units. The Interior Ministry also requisitioned all sorts of vehicles and armaments left on the territory by the various invading armies. Their tasks of defense of the national territory soon became tasks of protection of public order. [3]

T17 (armored car) armored car

The T17 and the T17E1 were two American armored car designs produced during the Second World War. Neither saw service with frontline US forces but the latter was supplied, via the United Kingdom, to British and Commonwealth forces during the war and received the service name Staghound. A number of countries used the Staghound after the war, with some of the vehicles continuing to serve into the 1980s.

Lince (armored car) armored car

The Autoblinda Lince ("Lynx") was an Italian scout car used by the Italian Social Republic between 1943-1945 during World War II. The Lince was a copy of the British Daimler Dingo and was primarily used for reconnaissance. Its armament consisted of a single 8 mm machine gun. Some 250 vehicles were built in all.

The Carabinieri refrained from engaging in riot control or maintenance of public order and, therefore, the burden fell on the shoulders of the Corps of Guards of Public Security. [4] p. 89 For this purpose, the Celere units were established by Giuseppe Romita in 1947. [5] [6] p. 24

Giuseppe Romita Italian politician

Giuseppe Romita was an Italian Socialist Party politician. He was also a member of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party. He was minister of public works in the Government of Italy. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly of Italy. He served in the Senate of Italy in Legislature I. He served in the Chamber of Deputies of Italy in Legislature II.

Directly subordinate to the Chief of Police, the Celere units were initially three, based in Rome, Padua and Milan. In the years of reconstruction, the Celere units were equipped mostly with jeeps (Willys Jeep), Italian off-road vehicles (Fiat Campagnola, since 1952) [7] and light trucks (OM CL 52). There were, however, also armoured companies and some motorcyclists. [5]

Padua Comune in Veneto, Italy

Padua is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 214,000. The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE) which has a population of c. 2,600,000.

Milan Comune

Milan is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city in Italy after Rome, with the city proper having a population of 1,372,810 while its metropolitan area has a population of 3,243,115. Its continuously built-up urban area has a population estimated to be about 5,270,000 over 1,891 square kilometres. The wider Milan metropolitan area, known as Greater Milan, is a polycentric metropolitan region that extends over central Lombardy and eastern Piedmont and which counts an estimated total population of 7.5 million, making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and the 54th largest in the world. Milan served as capital of the Western Roman Empire from 286 to 402 and the Duchy of Milan during the medieval period and early modern age.

Fiat Campagnola car model

The Fiat Campagnola is a heavy-duty off-road vehicle produced by Fiat. Production started in 1951 and it was upgraded in 1974. It was inspired by the Willys Jeep.

In the following years, other Celere units were established in Bologna, Turin, Genoa, Florence, Naples, Reggio Calabria, Bari (with detachment in Taranto), Palermo, Catania and Cagliari. [6] p. 24

1948-1960: Mobile and Celere Units

Between 1948 and 1960, there were 20 Mobile Units and three Celere Units. [8]

Mobile Units were organised with 3 to 4 Mobile Companies and 1 Armoured Cars Company. [8] Within these units, public relief battalions were created to intervene in the event of natural disasters. A similar organization was carefully studied also by the police of foreign states. [6] p. 24

Celere Units had the same organisation of the Mobile Units, but were considered better equipped and trained. As of 1947, there were three Celere units: [8]

In summer 1953, the Mobile Units were deployed at the border with Jugoslavia, at the height of the political crisis over Trieste; the following year, a detachment of the 2nd Celere Unit (based in Padua) was the first Italian military unit to enter in Trieste. [6] p. 31 From the end of the 1950s, the Mobile units merged into the Celere units. [6] p. 25

In the 1950s, the repressive aspect put in place by the Celere units began to tend to avoid as much as possible the physical battle between the guards and the demonstrators. The riot control tactics implemented the charges carried on board the means, at the time American war residues. The "Celere" was equipped with specialized means for riot control, such as hydrants. [6] p. 28

1960 - 1981

In the 1960s, the Celere units modernized their equipment, receiving Italian vans, FIAT 6640 armoured cars, more suited to the troops transport and to the breakthrough of road barricades. [6] p. 49 Late 1960s were marked by extensive riots and clashes.0 In order to fight the Sardinian banditry, the "Blue Berets" were drawn from the 2nd Celere unit (based in Padua) and deployed in the Sardinian interior between January 1967 and October 1970. [6] pp. 70–71

In the late 1960s, the Celere units were reorganized, until 1976, in four groups, born from the transformation of the three original units with the addition of that of Naples. [5] [6] pp. 70–71

In the 1970s, the Police proceeded to adapt men, resources and resources. A gray-green suit and a beret were introduced as operational uniform for Celere units; helmets were equipped with an impact-resistant plastic visor; the Beretta M1934 pistols were replaced with the M51; the Beretta M12 submachine gun was introduced. [6] p. 81

In terms of vehicles, in the "Celere" departments the new OM and FIAT "shielded" vans were introduced, with bulletproof glass, ventilation systems that prevent the inhalation of tear gas and equipped with movable metal gratings against the throwing of stones.

1981 - present: Polizia di Stato

Following the demilitarization of the Corps of Guards of Public Security and the establishment of the Polizia di Stato occurred in 1981, in 1985 Celere Units reassumed the old denomination of Mobile Units. [6] p. 105 In 1990, on the occasion of the 1990 FIFA World Cup held in Italy, the Mobile Units changed the operational riot uniform, with the old gray-green suit replaced by the current gray-blue suit; further adjustments were made to it at the G8 summit held in Genoa in July 2001. [6] p. 105

Starting from 2001, the 13 Mobile Units then present became another specialty of the Polizia di Stato; this change obliges all the policemen belonging to the Mobile Units to attend special specialization and updating courses on riot control and public rescue. [6] p. 105

The self-protection equipment of each agent of the Mobile Units was progressively increased, up to the adoption of protections for the back, arms and legs and gas masks, which prevent the inhalation of tear gas. A new type of shield was also introduced, this time round in shape and more manageable than the rectangular one. The same Mobile Units were equipped with specific vehicles for the sector: a new type of hydrant, new vans for the transport of the teams and for riot control services, mechanical vehicles for public rescue. [6] p. 105 Since 2018, women are allowed to serve in Mobile Units. [9] [10]

Management

Mobile Units of the Polizia di Stato depend on the Central Directorate of Specialities, Service for Special Units, 1st Division. The deployment of the Mobile Units is operated by the Public Order Office, within the Secretariat of the Department of Public Security.

Organisation

Each Mobile Unit is organised in a similar way, independently from its dimensions. The Mobile Unit has:

The XII Mobile Unit in Reggio Calabria also has an anti-sabotage team. The leadership of the Unit is entrusted, ordinarily, to a director (Primo Dirigente), assisted by a deputy director.

At each mobile department a personnel quota must consist of CBRN defense specialists as well as, in the past, also by a sufficient number of trumpeter agents, who have now disappeared since each charge is currently preceded and accompanied by the sound of the sirens.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Carabinieri are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic policing duties. It is one of Italy's main law enforcement agencies, alongside the Polizia di Stato and the Guardia di Finanza. As with the Guardia di Finanza but in contrast to the Polizia di Stato, the Carabinieri are a military force. As the fourth branch of the Italian Armed Forces, they come under the authority of the Ministry of Defence. In practice, there is a significant overlap between the jurisdiction of the Polizia di Stato and Carabinieri, who are contacted on separate emergency telephone numbers. Unlike the Polizia di Stato, the Carabinieri have responsibility for policing the military, and a number of members regularly participate in military missions abroad.

Riot control measures used by police, military, or other security forces during a riot

Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irrational, actions which cause people to stop and think for a moment can be enough to stop it. However, these methods usually fail when there is severe anger with a legitimate cause, or the riot was planned or organized. Law enforcement officers or military personnel have long used less lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds and detain rioters. Since the 1980s, riot control officers have also used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and electric tasers. In some cases, riot squads may also use Long Range Acoustic Devices, water cannons, armoured fighting vehicles, aerial surveillance, police dogs or mounted police on horses. Officers performing riot control typically wear protective equipment such as riot helmets, face visors, body armor, gas masks and riot shields. However, there are also cases where lethal weapons are used to violently suppress a protest or riot, as in the Boston Massacre, Haymarket Massacre, Banana Massacre, Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Kent State Massacre, Soweto Uprising, Mendiola Massacre, Bloody Sunday (1905), Bloody Sunday (1972),Venezuelan Protest(2017),Tuticorin Massacre (2018)

Riot police

Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.

Law enforcement in Italy

Law enforcement in Italy is an exclusive duty of the State and it is generally provided by four national agencies with full powers, with other local forces providing restricted or limited duties.

Arturo Bocchini Italian chief of police

Arturo Bocchini was Chief of Police under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. From 1926 until his death in 1940, Bocchini headed both the regular police and the secret political police (OVRA).

Autoblinda Fiat-Ansaldo

The Autoblinda 40, 41 and 43 were Italian armoured cars produced by Fiat-Ansaldo and which saw service mainly during World War II. Most autoblinde were armed with a 20 mm Breda 35 autocannon and a coaxial 8 mm machine gun in a turret similar to the one fitted to the Fiat L6/40, and another hull mounted rear-facing 8 mm machine gun.

Roma Termini railway station Italian railway station

Roma Termini is the main railway station of Rome, Italy. It is named after the district of the same name, which in turn took its name from ancient Baths of Diocletian, which lie across the street from the main entrance.

The General Investigations and Special Operations Division, generally known by its acronym DIGOS, is an Italian law enforcement agency charged with investigating sensitive cases involving terrorism, organized crime and serious offences such as kidnapping and extortion. It is a special operational division of Polizia di Stato, territorially organized within each provincial police headquarters. It is responsible to the national Central Police Directorate for Crime Prevention, which is a part of the Public Safety Department of the Interior Ministry. The DIGOS, which has an Office in each provincial headquarters, or Questura, of the Polizia di Stato acts as its Intelligence branch. Through "general investigations" aimed at having a constant eye on the evolution on national soil of social unrest, political underground movements and sports-related violent phenomena the DIGOS periodically reports to the Minister of Interior and to the Head of Police. Such activity is strongly assisted by the peculiar and specially trained infiltration units belonging to DIGOS that constantly enrich such reports and investigations with "inside views" of the various phenomena. Special training of such units involves classes on local slang, specific environment habits and social camouflage along with prior real life experiences as a selection preference).

Municipal police (Italy) Are the municipal police of Italy responsible to the mayors of the various municipalities of Italy.

The polizia municipale are the municipal police of Italy responsible to the mayors of the various municipalities of Italy. Traffic control is their main function in addition to enforcing national, regional and local laws regarding commerce, legal residence, pets and other administrative duties. They also have all other police duties, with the exception of public safety, because this is an exclusive duty of the Polizia di Stato and Polizia Municipale has only an auxiliary function. Thus, its member aren't automatically authorized to carry weapons while in their line of duty. On the contrary, each municipality decides whether to arm its municipal police corp.

De Tomaso Deauville car model

The De Tomaso Deauville was a luxury four-door saloon first exhibited at Turin Motor Show 1970. The Deauville was powered by the same 351 in³ (5763 cc) Ford Cleveland V8 as the De Tomaso Pantera, rated at 330 hp. The car had a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph) and featured styling similar to that of the Jaguar XJ.

The Polizia Stradale is the national highway patrol of Italy and is a sub-directorate of the Italian State Police.

Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale

The Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale (ROS), or Special Operations Group, is part of the Italian Carabinieri. Founded on 3 December 1990 to coordinate investigative activities against organized crime, it is now the main investigative arm of the Carabinieri, dealing with organized crime and terrorism. The ROS reports directly to the Carabinieri General Command.

The Republican Police Corps was a police force of the Italian Social Republic during the Italian Civil War.

Carabinieri Mobile Units Division

The Carabinieri Mobile Units Division is the Carabinieri formation, established in 2001, dedicated to the performance of military duties abroad, the military police tasks when abroad, the support to Territorial Organization, the participation in civil protection operations and to ensure the emergency reserve for the General Command.

The 1st Carabinieri Mobile Brigade is a Carabinieri formation tasked with riot control, civil defence and security duties.

2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade Military unit of monoarma Carabinieri , depending on the Division police mobile units.

The 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade, based in Livorno, is the Carabinieri formation dedicated to the military missions abroad, including the military police tasks. It employs the 13th Carabinieri Regiment "Trentino-Alto Adige", the 13th Carabinieri Regiment "Friuli-Venezia Giulia", the 1st Parachute Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania" and the Gruppo di intervento speciale.

1st Carabinieri Regiment "Piemonte"

The 1st Carabinieri Regiment "Piemonte" is a riot control unit of the Carabinieri.

The 4th Carabinieri Battalion "Veneto" is a Carabinieri formation tasked with riot control, civil defence and security duties.

11th Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade

The 11th Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade was the Carabinieri formation, established in 1963 and disestablished in 2001, dedicated to the performance of military duties, the support to Territorial Organization, the participation in civil protection operations and to ensure the emergency reserve for the General Command.

References

  1. ↑ "I Reparti mobili". www.poliziadistato.it. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  2. ↑ "Reparti Mobile". www.poliziadistato.it (in Italian). 23 March 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  3. ↑ Calore, Gianmarco (17 July 2016). "Il 2° Reparto Celere di Padova". Polizianellastoria (in Italian). Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  4. ↑ Sannino, Antonio (2004). Le forze di polizia nel dopoguerra (in Italian). Milano: Mursia. p. 89. ISBN   9788842532798.
  5. 1 2 3 "Il reparto celere e il reparto mobile". www.poliziadistato.it. 17 November 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Calore, Giacomo (2016). "Polizia nella storia" (PDF). ANPS Arezzo (in Italian). pp. 24–25, 28, 70–71, 81, 105. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  7. ↑ "Fuoristrada da ricognizione". www.poliziadistato.it. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 Calore, Giacomo (17 July 2016). "Organizzazione dei Reparti Mobili e Celeri". Polizianellastoria (in Italian). Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  9. ↑ "Poliziamoderna: ecco le prime donne nei reparti mobili". www.poliziadistato.it (in Italian). 5 May 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  10. ↑ Tissone, Daniele (17 April 2018). "Poliziotte nei Reparti Mobili a fare ordine pubblico". Huffpost (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.