Administration of Public Security (Italy)

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The National Flag of the Royal Police Corps and of the whole Directorate General of Public Security.

In the Kingdom of Italy, the overall management of the public security services is assigned to the Prefects appointed by the government (both at the top of the Directorate General and locally, in the provincial governments), but general and overall responsibility for the execution of the service is entrusted to civilian officials of public security, and finally the executive service is entrusted to a military corps. Therefore, the technical part of the administration of public security is the most important, although Prefects still retain a significant influence and guidance positions.
The Prefect is the highest authority of Public Security in the provinces and, with regard to the functions of the police, he may adopt the necessary measures for the protection of public order and public security. Prefects have functional superiority, besides being higher in rank, compared to the officials of Public Security. They, however, unlike Prefects, are policemen to all intents and purposes, whose shoulders the direction of public security services rests on. The Quaestor exercises the technical direction of all police services and public order in the provincial constituency. He belongs to the civilian personnel of Public Security.
In carrying out their activities the Quaestor and other civilian officials of Public Security are assisted by military personnel of the Royal Police Corps, which is under the Ministry of Interior and part of the armed forces of the state, therefore being subject to the military law of peace and war, and, in the case of violations, judged by military courts.
Each of the three components (Prefects, Officials, Military) follows its own rules of reference with regard to disciplinary measures, professional training, remuneration and career prospects. The civilian components (especially the Prefect Corps) are favoured, while the military component, except for the officers, is the most disadvantaged.
As of 2013, the overall strength of the Administration of Public Security is 232,483, excluding provincial Prefects and other support organisations, but including support personnel.

Contents

Mission

Organisational chart of the public security establishment in the Kingdom of Italy.

The main and foremost function and mission of the whole public security apparatus, led by the central administration, is to protect the public order and security, to protect the individual citens' security, legitimate interests and properties and to provide rescue for those who are in jeopardy. In case of necessity, the public security apparatus, through the lawfully pre-determined bodies, is entlited to issue decisions on or propose the suspension or termination of operations of agencies, organisations or individuals which are detrimental to public order and security; to requisition means of transport, communication equipments and other technical means of agencies, organisations, individuals and operators or users of such means according to the provisions of law. These functions are carried out almost exclusively by the Administration of Public Security (with the contribution of the Central Security Office and Party armed forces).
Functions of the whole apparatus of Public Security include taking part to protect the Duce and the State, protecting life and properties of the Italian people, to contribute to protect high-ranking leading officials of the Party and the State and foreign guests, to contribute to safeguard important events, targets and key projects of national security, foreign representative offices, representatives of Italy-based international organisations, individuals holding or closely related to state secrets. These functions are carried in conjunction by the public security apparatus and by the M.V.S.N. (and its branches).
Other functions include advising the Party and the State on protection of national security and maintenance of social order and security, performing the unified management in protection and maintenance of social order and security, preventing and fighting against crimes of all types and violations of law on national security as well as social order and safety. In order to carry out such duties, the Directorate-General of Public Security is tasked to collect information, analyze, evaluate and predict situation and propose the Party and the State to promulgate and direct the implementation of guidelines, policies, laws and strategies on protection and maintenance of public order and security. Such pieces of information, because their vastity and diversity, are collected by the whole Directorate-General and by all its Divisions, each according the relevant information required. Such functions, mainly the information gathering, are carried out by the Public Security apparatus as well as by the O.V.R.A., the intelligence branch of the M.V.S.N.

Directorate General of Public Security

In Italy, the Ministry of the Interior provides for the protection of public security. Under the direct dependence of the Ministry there is the Directorate-General of Public Security, central governing body comprising all police services, both preventive and repressive ones; both Civil Administration of the Interior officials and personnel (for strictly non police-related duties) and Public Security officials are assigned to the Directorate General.
The Directorate General of Public Security mainly deals with non-political crime (although there are departments which deal with politically oriented offences), public order and general police duties. In particular, offices of the Directorate-General oversee services related to the maintenance of public order and public safety, prevention and repression of crime, for the protection of public security, the protection of public morality and decency, supervision the border and the transportation police.

Civilian personnel of Public Security

In Italy, the police are made up of both civilian and military personnel. Civilian personnel consists of public security officials and employees, depending on the Ministry of the Interior.
The career of public security personnel is regulated, as well as by the general provisions on the organisation of hierarchical government of the state and the law on the legal status of the clerks of the state. According to these regulations, the personnel of the administration of public security is divided into two categories:

  • A Group personnel, public security officials and civilian support officials;
  • C Group personnel, concept employees of police (support personnel) and order employees of police (archives personnel mainly). The staff of the C-Group is divided into:
    • Employees of Police, which assist the public security officials in dealing with the affairs of administrative police, but keeping a non decisional role;
    • Order employees, who are engaged in keeping of archives, records, as well as copy jobs and facility general support.

All civilian personnel must be enrolled in the National Fascist Party in order to have access even to admission public competitions.

Officials of Public Security

Ranks in the career of public security officers are as follows in descending order: Director General, Inspector General, Quaestor (1st and 2nd class), Deputy Quaestor, Chief Commissioner, Commissioner, Additional Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Additional Deputy Commissioner. Officers of Public Security, up to Deputy Quaestor, are also Officers of Judicial Police.
Candidates for a career of public security officers access through a competitive examination. Winners can, however, achieve the initial level only after a trial period, during which they must participate in a training course at the police school and pass a theoretical and practical examination on the course program. In each competition, up to a third of the posts available is reserved to the troops and Subofficers of the Royal Police Corps, provided they have gained the educational requisites. This passage is widely encouraged as a career advancement and a personal betterment opportunity. The role of a civilian Official of Public Security is those of a force multiplier and expert in police matters, able to integrate and multiply assets provided by military forces tasked with police duties.

Commissioners Category

Public Security Officials ranking Additional Deputy Commissioner of Public Security, Deputy Commissioner of P.S., Commissioner of P.S., Chief Commissioner of P.S. and Deputy Quaestor are framed within the Commissioners Category (Categoria Commissari). Such Officials have functions of both public security and judicial police; they direct offices involving a responsible professional contribution and independent decision in the context of issued orders.
Additional Deputy Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Commissioners all apply such functions in collaboration with the directors of the offices and departments to which they are attached. Commissioners may be appointed director of offices or departments, with the related responsibilities about the orders received and the results achieved. In case of absence or inability of the director, Deputy Commissioners and Commissioners replace him. Chief Commissioners and Deputy Quaestors (rank) also have duties towards more organic units, within the office or department which they are attached. They can also be appointed directors of offices or departments not strictly reserved for the personnel of higher rank, with full responsibility. These two ranks are immediate collaborators of the Directors of Public Security, and they can replace them in the event of absence or impediment.
It is to be emphasised that civilian Commissioners constitute a small but very effective part of the public security apparatus: they operate as department heads within both the central and the peripheral organisation, and, at the peripheral level, they act as force-multipliers and operational planners, able to to effectively direct military personnel under them.

Directors Category

Public Security Officials ranking Quaestor, 2nd Class, Inspector General/Quaestor, 1st Class, Director General of P.S. and Director General of P.S., 1st Class are framed within the Directors Category (Categoria Dirigenti). Such officials are Officers of Public Security, but not Officers of Judicial Police. In addition to the direction of offices or departments of particular relevance, Directors of the Administration of Public Security also perform inspection tasks.
Quaestors, 2nd Class (rank), may be assigned to a variety of posts: Deputy Quaestors (post, not rank) of important Provinces, Quaestors (post) of other Provinces, Heads of Office of the central Administration of Public Security, Deputy Ministerial Councillors, Heads of Commissariats of particular relevance, Heads of peripheral offices at provincial level (traffic police, railway or border or postal police), vice-directors of educational institution, Heads of a scientific police cabinet at regional level and Head of an operational coordination center. Quaestors, 2nd Class who are not Deputy Quaestors (i.e. who are not Vicars of the Quaestors) are also Officers of Judicial Police.
Directors General of Public Security, 1st Class are appointed from among Directors General of Public Security and are equated with Prefects, 1st Class.

Directors General of Public Security

The Directors General of Public Security are among the most senior positions within the Directorate-General of Public Security. While they are formally equivalent to Major Generals, they are appointed, through a special procedure, from among the Inspectors General by a decree of the Chief of Government. The Minister of the Interior establishes by decree the Commission for the Promotion to Director General of Public Security, made up of the Chief of Police, who presides over it, and the Director General of Public Security, 1st Class.
The Commission identifies, to the extent not less than twice the number of available position, officials with the rank of Inspector General suitable for appointment as Director General of Public Security. The Commission avails itself of the collaboration of Division III - Personnel and Litigation. In view of his proposal to the Chief of Government, the Minister of the Interior chooses from among the officials indicated by the commission.

Uniform and equipment of the civilian officials

Officials of Public Security ordinarily wear civilian clothes; during public order services they wear a tricolour silk sash 12cm wide, with embroidered embroidery on the ends of silver flakes. In the investigative work, the Officials of Public Security, in order to be recognised, apply a metal plate to the jacket lapel. Officials have to provide their own personal armament, which is a gun and a baton or a whip.

Director-General of the Public Security

Director General of the Public Security and Chief of Police Falco De Caro.

The Chief of Police - Director General of Public Security is the overall chief of the Public Security apparatus; he is a figure belonging to the administration of public security. The commission is usually covered by a Prefect appointed by the Duce on the proposal of the Interior Minister. In turn, the Prefect may be chosen among senior police officers of all corps and organisations involved in security matters. The task of the Chief of Police is to handle the management, ensure the good performance, representing the agency with the Duce. In Public Security matters he has the power to issue emergency orders to Prefects, even without having to pass through the Minister of Interior; however, these orders must be confirmed by the latter.
Although the Director-General must be a Prefect, there is no provision prohibiting or barring an external element to be nominated a Prefect while maintaining another task or position: this was the case of Emilio Zanardelli-Tamburini, who was Director-General of Public Security (1978-1982) while holding the position of Commandant General of the M.V.S.N. (1977-1982). This has been avoided since, because fears of excessive concentrated powers (although subject to two chains of command); in cases of national emergency, however, the two posts still may be combined.

Central organisation of P.S.

The Directorate General of P.S. is headed by the Chief of Police - Director General of P.S. and it is organised into a Secretariat, three Inspectorates General and 16 Divisions:

  • General Inspectorate for Public Security at the Duce of Italy
  • General Inspectorate of Public Security at the Vatican
  • General Inspectorate for Public Security at the Ministry of the Interior
  • Special Secretariat of Public Security
  • Division I - General and Legislative Affairs, Legislation and documentation
  • Division II - Confidential Affairs
  • Division III - Personnel of Public Security and Litigation - the Division administers the public security civilian personnel (officials of P.S., employees, ushers) and provides legal support;
  • Division IV - Police Schools
    • Higher Police School, which is responsible for the technical training of the student public security officials;
    • Academy of Public Security, for the preparation of the Royal Police Corps officers: the Academy educates officers who do not learn only the traditional military education but also a solid grounding in various police fields such as forensic and criminology.
    • Two police schools of Rome and Caserta for the preparation of sub-officers and agents of public security;
  • Division V - Administrative and Social Police, which deals with the study and use of the most effective means to avert disruption of social and legal order: the Division also deals with the superintendence on administrative departments of public security provincial and sub-provincial offices;
    • Anti-Cults Section
    • Weapons and Explosives Section
    • Local Police and Citizens Section
    • Social Police Office
  • Division VI - Criminal Police, in charge of liability ascertainment and consequent punishment of the criminal, when, despite the adoption of the means of prevention, the injury of legal-social order has taken place (judicial police);
    • National Coordination Centre of criminal police operations
  • Division VII - Political Police
  • Division VIII - Border Police: the MVSN is present on the front lines of the border, while in the back line service is entrusted to the Public Security. The general management is matter for Public Security, but the Militia, in addition to border watch, is responsible for the surveillance and supervision policy.
  • Division IX - Transportation Police;
  • Division X - Scientific Police and Forensics
  • Division XI - Contracts and supplies management;
  • Division XII - Police barracking;
  • Division XIII - Technical Services and Telecommunications and Post Police;
  • Division XIV - Motorization;
  • Division XV - Police Health Service;
  • Division XVI - Social Assistance;
  • Inspectorate General of the Military Corps assigned to police duties;
  • Inspectorate General of Accountancy.
  • Inspectorate General for the General Affairs

Division I - General Affairs

Division I - General Affairs (It.: Divisione I - Affari Generali, D.AA.GG. or more frequently DAG) is the Division that, directly dependent on the Chief of Police, exercises functions of general support, coordination between divisions and of performing special and confidential tasks. The Division is divided into nine Sections, led by a Prefect who bears also the title of Head of the Secretariat of the Director General:

  • Section I - General Affairs and Personnel;
  • Section II - Strategic analysis, Planning and Documentation;
  • Section III - Subversive Movement and Public Order (liaison with intelligence-oriented bodies);
  • Section IV - Technology Improvement;
  • Section V - Public Security Informatics;
  • Section VI - Personnel Assistance;
  • Section VII - Studies, Legislation and Ceremonial;
  • Section VIII - International Affairs and External Relations;
  • Section IX - Public Security of the Italian Empire.

Current Head of Secretariat is Prefect, 2nd Class Ruggero Brega.

Section I - General Affairs and Personnel

Section I - General Affairs and Personnel (Sezione I - Affari Generali e Personale) has jurisdiction in internal general affairs, support to general administration and coordination for the implementation of programs and projects related to the direct responsibility of the Head of the Secretariat. The Section is subdivided into ten Offices:

  • Office I - External Personnel: manages the issues of personnel of the prefectorial career and personnel of the civil administration of the Interiors assigned to the Directorate General of Public Security (External Personnel Office);
  • Office II - Analysis: monitors the personnel needs of the central offices, and liaises with the National Fascist Party and with the Directorate General for the General Affairs and Personnel;
  • Office III - Central transfers: assigns the Public Security personnel (both civil and military ones) and Civil Administration members to the central offices of the Directorate General
  • Office IV - Viminale: manages access permits to the Viminale building and data related to the Public Security personnel assigned to the Directorate General;
  • Office V - Civilian and prefectorial personnel: manages civilian and prefectorial personnel assigned to the Administration of Public Security (with the exception of Provincial Authorities);
  • Office VI - General thematics Office: addresses problems and issues not addressed by other bodies;
  • Office VII - Archives;
  • Office VIII - Workplace: manages the healthiness of workplaces;
  • Office IX - Data Security: ensures protection of personal data and their availability for political and security purposes only;
  • Office X - Legislation: ensures technical support to the Minister of Interior, the Chief of Government and to the Duce for regulation of the security sector.

In order to protect Public Security against criminal infiltration, the formal instrument is that of "environmental incompatibility for personnel", incompatibility which can be seen through informational activity and hierarchical control. An information activity is also carried out during enrollment and, in case of transfer, pre-emptive information is used to avoid incompatibility in the place of destination.

Section II - Strategic analysis, Planning and Documentation

Section II - Strategic analysis, Planning and Documentation has jurisdiction in supporting to the Head of the Secretariat for the planning and the definition of the objectives and programs and the coordination of the activities of the offices of the Directorate General, as well as internal coordination. The Section main task is the analysis, advice and fitting information. In addition to this task, the Section prepares the records and documents to the National Committee of Order and Public Security, carries out the activities of the security secretariat and technical advice on issues relating to classified documents.
The Section also oversees the functioning of the archives of the Questure and manages the acquisition, monitoring and management of internal and external information related to order and public security. In this sense, the Section directs the "Situations Centre"", in turn tasked with the management of all important peripheral news, and the Disaster Victims Identifications Group.
The Section is directed by an Inspector General, and the six individual offices are all headed by Quaestors, 2nd class or equivalent:

  • Office I - Objectives and programs;
  • Office II - Local Administrators Security;
  • Office III - Analysis of National Economic Security;
  • Office IV - Affairs and Security Secretariat for National Committee of Order and Public Security;
  • Office V - Organisation of the Directorate-General;
  • Situation Centre.

Office II - Local Administrators Security

Office II - Local Administrators Security operates in the Directorate General of Public Security as an articulation of the Central Study Commission on Intimidation against Local Administrators. The Office constantly monitors the phenomenon, also by analyzing the data provided by the prefectural documentation services. To this end, also in relation to the different territorial contexts, directs the activity of the same documentation services. On the basis of the studies, he proposes to the Commission initiatives and strategies for preventing and combating the phenomenon and periodically reports to the Observatory.
The Local Administrators Security Office is an Office of the Division I - General Affairs, Section II - Analysis, Plans and Documentation. The Office consists of representatives of the Directorate General of Public Security, the Directorate General for the Civil Administration of the Interior, the Directorate General for Civil Services, the Directorate General for General Affairs and Civilian Personnel, the M.V.S.N. and all police forces. The Office is supported by officials from the Criminal Analysis Section (Section II, Division VI - Criminal Police).

Office III - Analysis of National Economic Security

Office III - Analysis of National Economic Security contributes to the protection of the economic security against foreign or undue acquisitions in strategic sectors of the Italian economy or the economy of the Empire. The task of Office III is to formulate non-binding proposals of issuing vetoes over such acquisitions.
The Office operates in liaision with several entities: the Ministries of Corporations, of Foreign Affairs and of National Defence, with the intelligence community and with the Royal Guard of Finance. Office III also has direct relationships with the individual security bodies (the O.V.R.A. branches) of the Realms of the Italian Empire for this purposes and, through Section IX - Public Security of the Italian Empire, with police organisations of the Italian Empire.

Section III - Public Order

Section III - Public Order is one of the most important offices within the Division (and even within the whole Directorate General of Public Security), because it deals with the top-level management of public order services, mainly on sensitive occasions. The Section is closely connected with the Central Security Office, with the Prefectures and the Questure, as well as with other information channels, for the management of public order on the occasion of important events, including rallies, demonstrations and other mass events, both events organised by the Regime and non-authorised events. The Section of Public Order is therefore the organ which is responsible for the deployment and the centralised direction and management of the Celere units, of the other non-territorial units of the Royal Police Corps, of the forces of the Voluntary Militia for National Security and of the Italian National Royal Guard units for both public order and rescue operations in case of public calamities. The Section is also responsible for the oversight of the objectives of public interest and of diplomatic and service of security for foreign dignitaries temporarily visiting in Italy. The Section is in charge of the public order network, being the direct collaborator of the Chief of Police for subversive and political matters. The Public Order Section is the terminal point all police bodies tasked of preserving the public order and security, including both Division II - Confidential Affairs and Division VII - Political Police.
The Public Order Section, directed by an Inspector General, is further divided into three Offices:

  • Office I - General Affairs: The Office supports the Director of the Office and prepares guidelines on the management of events and provisions for the use of mobile forces. To achieve this, it plans reinforcements of the mobile units of the police and security forces for public order services or for rescue operations, assigning directly to the Provincial Authorities of Public Security any special units (canine units, mounted units, bomb disposal units, naval squads, divers and snipers and sharpshooters) and decides on any temporary aggregations of personnel of the Royal Police Corps or Royal Carabinieri for such services. With regard to other police forces, it requires such special units to the relevant Commands. The Office also monitors and analyses events and other events relevant to public order, prepares the daily reports and produces statistical analysis. The Office is directed by a Colonel of the Royal Police Corps.
  • Office II - Official Events, Surveillance and Emergency: Office II is in charge of official events attended by the most important State and the Party leaders. In addition, it deals with the most critical situations and with surveillance operations. Therefore, it prepares guidelines on public order services on the occasion of such events, as it is responsible for the preparation of guidelines for the visits of foreign dignitaries in Italy. As regards the surveillance and emergency preparation activities, the Sector prepares the appropriate directives and emergency planning and crisis management that require the intervention of the Armed Forces. Finally, it is responsible for participation in exercises and international working groups for cooperation activities in the field of public security. The Office is directed by a Quaestor, 2nd class.
  • Office III - Sports Violence: the 3rd Sector is responsible for the management of sports violence. Therefore, it mainly carries out studies and research for the prevention of violence in sport, performing a dynamic analysis of the illegality related to sporting events and establish the guidelines that result. The sector therefore takes the relations with the government's national and international sporting and other organs of the whole Directorate General for the coordination of law enforcement activities. Finally, the Office is responsible for the course material for the training and retraining of personnel in the field of public order. The Office is led by a Colonel of the Royal Carabinieri.

Section VIII - International Affairs and External Relations

Section VIII is responsible for relations of the Public Security apparatus with foreign (i.e. not belonging to the Italian Empire) countries and with other Italian State administrations. Activities range from bilateral information exchange to operation of multilateral police organisations.
In international relations, Public Security divides the world into five areas, each with liaison officers and working groups. The system of liaison officers is also divided into five areas, with a hundred experts plus support staff. Currently, the Balkan area is the strongest. Four Offices operate at central level:

  • Office I - Bilateral Exchanges, dealing with country-to-country cooperations;
  • Office II - Fascist and European Countries, dealing with affairs pertaining exclusively to nearby countries in Europe;
  • Office III - Multilateral Exchanges and International Organisations, which provides guidance for matters related to wider forums;
  • Office IV - Strategic planning, directed by a Vice-prefect, appointed to take care of strategic planning in the field of international police cooperation.

Section IX - Public Security of the Italian Empire

Section IX is responsible of the public security activity carried out at imperial level and for assisting the Chief of Public Security in managing and directing the police/gendarmerie forces of the other Realms of the Italian Empire. The Section main task is the analysis, advice and coordinating activity of high sensitivity between various Italian police forces. In addition to this task, the Section prepares documents for the general coordination activity, carries out the activities of the security secretariat and technical advice on issues relating to classified documents. The section is led by a Prefect, 2nd Class, and, alongside the various Offices, also has a Consultative Commission, which consists of a representative from each Gendarmerie force and of a representative of the Montenegrin police.

Division II - Confidential Affairs

The Confidential Affairs Division (It: Divisione II - Affari Riservati, D.AA.RR. or more commonly D.A.R.) is a central office of the Directorate-General of Public Security, stemming from the reorganization of the 1990s. This Division deals with domestic intelligence (also including offensive and proactive operations) and political police functions, without a territorial scope. Differently from Political Police Division, the D.AA.RR. is a pure intelligence-oriented internal organisation, officially restricted to dealing with information, while Division VII is an overt security apparatus and has operational and police roles (with territorialised functions). The fundamental characteristic of Division II is the centralization, both of the information and of the investigations and their management throughout the national territory. The leadership of the Confidential Affairs Division is usually given to a trusted senior police official, who is promoted to the Prefect rank for the specific purpose. While other Divisional heads may report to other officials outside the Administration of Public Security, the head of Division II reports only to the Chief of Police, the Minister of Interior and to the Duce; information acquired by the Division is filtered throught Division VII - Political Police and then shared with other security services. The D.AA.RR. ensures the indispensable contribution of a general and preventive intelligence, capable of integrating the investigative activities, and conducted by police forces and specialized structures such as the U.C.S.
It is to note that personnel assigned to Division II from the remaining Administration of P.S. do not retain the capacity of Judicial Police Agent or Judicial Police Officer.
The D.A.R. organisation is based on functional criteria and includes several Sections, three multi-sectional Services, three Central Offices and a Central Political Database (It: Casellario Politico Centrale, C.P.C.). Clandestine provincial teams are directly employed by the Confidential Affairs Division, which also uses the "Foreigners Surveillance Offices" framed within Questure. Each Section handles its own informers, informants and sources.
Current Head of Division is Prefect, 1st Class Leonardo Nuvolone.

Division III - Personnel of Public Security and Litigation

The P.S. Personnel Division directly manages the civilian public security and issue guidelines for the management of the Royal Police Corps personnel of all ranks. In particular, the Division issues guidelines on aspects regulated directions concerning the employment relationship and performs studies and counselling, manages the recruitment and internal selection procedures, deals with the procedures and events that affect the legal and economic status of the personnel, as well as with issues related to pensions and social security and takes care of litigation related to these activities, supporting the relevant bodies and offices.
The Division is one among the most important Divisions of the Directorate General and, given the large sums at its disposal, is frequently targeted by surveys, inspections, audits and investigations.
Due to its peculiar and dual nature, being a support Division and not an operational one, the structure is organised on seven Sections directly dependant on the Head of Division (a Prefect, 2nd Class), and on a Military Personnel Service (Servizio Personale Militare), headed by a C.P.R. Brigadier General, in charge of military personnel of the Royal Police Corps. In turn, the Brigadier General reports to both the Commandant General of the Royal Police Corps and to the head of Division III. Royal Carabinieri are subject to the National Defence Ministry.
Current Head of Division is Prefect, 2nd Class Rolando Ferrazza. The Officials of Public Security Advancement Commission directly depends on the Divisional Head.

Section I - General Affairs and Legal Affairs

Section I deals with the planning, design and implementation of programs and objectives related to personnel matters. The Section coordinates the activities of the other offices of the Division and contributes to the planning of the staffing of regional offices. It also manages the authorization procedures for recruitment of personnel. and prepares the opinions as to provide, the necessary administrative and regulatory norms concerning personnel issues. The consultancy is provided to all the other bodies of the Division, as well as the central and local offices of the Administration of Public Security.
Section I is subdivided into seven Offices: Planning, Coordination, Territorial Offices, Competitions, Consulting, Ideological Work and Regulations Offices.

Section II - Litigation

Section II deals with the discussion of judicial remedies with respect to the employment relationship in the fields of Legal Status, Courses, Competitions, Abusive Transfers, Disciplinary Proceedings, Social Security Claims, Compensation, and other issues. It also handles requests for legal protection for acts committed in service. Section II is subdivided into eleven offices: eight of them are dedicated to litigation against the personnel of the Administration of Public Security, two offices are dedicated to the requests for legal protection made by members of the Administration of Public Security (both civilian and military ones) and by members of the Royal Guard of Finance; Finally, an Office exists in order to compensate citizens who suffered non unjustifiable damage from police operations.

Section III - Access Competitions

Section III deals with the management of the competitions of the civilian staff of the Administration of Public Security. The Section is responsible for the decision of the requirements of the candidates, announcements of competitions and contests management themselves. With regard to military personnel, the Section is responsible for providing advice and support, but it is not directly involved.
The Section is subdivided into four offices: A-Group Personnel Office, C-Group Personnel Office, Documentation and Counselling Office and Informatics Management Office.

Section IV - Aptitude Selection

Section IV deals mainly with aptitude requirements of candidates to competitions for access to the administration of Public Security and aptitude requirements of the employees who aspire to be assigned to particular sectors. The section also deals with the assessment of aptitude with regard readmissions service. The Section is subdivided into six functional offices, each dealing with a single step of the attitudinal assessment.

Section V - Officials Administration

Section V is responsible for the administration of civilian officials who belong to the Administration of Public Security and of their careers. The Section deals with the legal status of career advancement, transfer and discipline related to such personnel; it also examines and decide on authorizations of offices outside work and especially on the rewards and decides on awards.
The Section is subdivided into five offices, each covering an individual sector; all offices include a Central Commission and five Interregional Commissions, which are tasked with the examination and preliminary decision about the individual cases. All the Interregional Commissions are framed within the Interregional Directorates, Personnel Division.

Division IV - Police Schools

Division IV - Police Schools and Training Institutes (Italian: Divisione IV - Scuole di Polizia e Istituti di Addestramento) deals with police training of both civilian officials and military personnel of all ranks. The task is particularly delicate because the upper echelons are deliberately differentiated and the Division has to amalgamate and create an unique esprit de corps.
Alongside the training to become a civilian official, the Division deals with the military training of the C.P.R.; this functional area includes the Regular Course of the Academy of Public Security (Corso Regolare dell'Accademia di Pubblica Sicurezza), which trains officer cadets, the Subofficers School (Scuola Sottufficiali) and the Agents Training Centre (Centro Addestramento Agenti).
Current Head of Division is Prefect, 1st Class Cristiano D'Ambrosi.

Academy of Public Securiity

The Academy of Public Security (Accademia di Pubblica Sicurezza) is the main educational institution for personnel destined to assume senior positions. The Academy of Public Security provides courses of instruction for cadets and application, refresher and specialization courses for officers of all militarised police forces. The purpose of the Academy of P.S. is to train officers who are really policemen, and not mere clean uniform and shaved beard controllers.
The organisation of courses is quite complex. The Academy of Public Security provides directly to C.P.R. officers their initial training, and provides Royal Carabinieri officers with police (investigative) training. On the other hand, both the Carabinieri Officers School and the Military Academy provide the Academy of Public Security of military training resources for C.P.R. officers. As for C.P.R., the Academy prepares officers for Celere Units, Traffic Police, Specialities and Institutes of Education, in addition to the Inspectorates and provincial Groups.
Students of the Academy of Public Security are assigned a daily allowance of an amount equal to half of the initial gross pay of the Carabiniere/Agent.

There is a number of career paths:

  • Graduate civilian personnel: 9-months Accelerated Course of the Academy of Public Security (Corso Accelerato dell'Accademia di Pubblica Sicurezza) in order to achieve the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Public Security.
  • High-school graduate civilian students and Marshals: 5-years Special Course of the Academy of Public Security (Corso Speciale dell'Accademia di Pubblica Sicurezza), in order to obtain a Law degree graduation and achieve, after two years from the enrolment, the rank of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Public Security.
  • High-school graduate civilian students: 5-years Regular Course of the Academy of Public Security (Corso Regolare dell'Accademia di Pubblica Sicurezza) in order to achieve the rank of Lieutenant of the Royal Police Corps.

In addition, Marshals who are discharged from the Royal Police Corps and promoted to the rank of Additional Deputy Commissioner of P.S. are often directly employed in a 1-year long period consisting of both operational and study activity.

Specialization schools

The Public Security apparatus has several specialization schools and centres; as a rule, these schools are handled and operated by Division IV - Police Schools, although a few (especially the transportation service schools) are managed by the relevant Division. Often such schools and training centres train and educate also personnel coming from the Army, the G.R.d.F. and the M.V.S.N.

  • Nautical and Diving Centre (Centro Nautico e Sommozzatori): managed and operated by the Coast Guard;
  • Aircraft Pilots Training School (Scuola di Addestramento per piloti di aereo): managed and operated by the Royal Carabinieri, common to all Militarised Police Corps;
  • Helicopter Pilots Training School (Scuola di Addestramento per piloti di elicottero): managed and operated by the Royal Carabinieri, common to all Militarised Police Corps;
  • Air Specialists Training School (Scuola di Addestramento per specialisti di bordo): managed and operated by the Royal Carabinieri, common to all Militarised Police Corps;
  • Mechanic Maintenance Training School (Scuola di Addestramento per meccanico e manutentore): common to all Militarised Police Corps;
  • Alpine Police School (Scuola di Polizia Alpina): managed and operated by the Royal Carabinieri, common to all Militarised Police Corps and to Civilian officials;
  • School of Judicial, Administrative and Investigative Police (Scuola di Polizia Giudiziaria, Amministrativa e Investigativa, Pol.G.A.I.), where police personnel is trained in the core matters.

Recruitment

The recruitment requirements for police personnel in police educational institutions are ostensibly the same across the Division and are also shared with the other military corps tasked with police duties, except for differences in age and education levels.
These requirements are: Italian citizenship and race; graduation from high school or equivalent; being aged 18 to 23 on 1 January of the examination year (the age limitation is 25 for university graduates); at least 1.65m tall for women and 1.70m for men; the standard of health stipulated in the competition decree; not known to indulge in drunkenness and gambling; not engagedin socio-culturally low and inferior jobs; not married or living with a foreigner or an Italian Jew or a Colonial Italian citizen; not engaged in antifascist political activities, anarchy and terrorist events; enrolled in the P.N.F.; not previously sentenced more than 6 months; no impediments to joining a security organization according to background check of family members; and no military service problem at the starting date of education programme.
The Minister of Interior has three quotas for each police entry school and course, the Chief of Police has two, while the Commandant-General of the C.P.R. has one quota for each C.P.R.-only school or course. Each of them has the right to ask the schools' directors that their recommended candidates be accepted into the school and that they be exempt from any of the normal application requirements. This phenomenon is in addition to any “unofficial instructions” issued.

Division V - Administrative and Social Police

Division V - Administrative and Social Police (Italian: Divisione V - Polizia Amministrativa e Sociale) deals with the study and use of the most effective means to avert disruption of social and legal order: the Division also deals with the superintendence and general guidance on administrative departments of public security provincial and sub-provincial offices, as well as on local police corps. The Division is responsible for planning, guidance and coordination of activities and administrative police measures, for the preparation of acts of competence of the Minister in the local administrative police matters and for records keeping, as well as for providing bureaucratic support to peripheral authorities of all types.
In particular, Division V - Administrative and Social Police deals with the sale, storage and introduction in Italy of weapons, the control of establishments, compliance with urban and rural police regulations and supervision and coordination of their enforcement, emigration, issuing of passports and forced domiciles. While general tasks of administrative police are carried out by several other Public Security organisations, Division V is one of the most important subdivisions of the Directorate General of Public Security and, to deal with its tasks, the Division consists of ten Sections and four independent Offices:

  • Section I - Licenses; this section deals with administrative permits and authorizations related to weapons, health and mineral oils and it is subdivided into six offices: Weapons sell, Detention, depot and importation regulation, Public establishments control, Explosives, Health regulations, Mineral oils;
  • Section II - Regulations: this section deals with all regulations related to administration (both central and peripheric) and it is subdivided into eight offices: Urban and rural regulations, Provincial regulations, Regional and other local regulations, Mortuary police, Trade regulations, Construction police and regulations, Public security licenses for commercial purposes, Prostitution;
  • Section III - Residing Foreigners and Residing Imperial Citizens; this section deals with immigrations and therefore is in close relationship with other bureaucratic bodies with responsibilities in foreigners' stay. It has three offices: stay permits, deportation, citizenship applications;
  • Section IV - Citizens mobility; this section deals with Italian nationals' mobility and emigration and it is subdivided into five offices: Travelling Jobs, Emigration, Passports issuance, Forced stays (non political cases) and Special surveillance;
  • Section V - Cults and Sects; this section deals with foreign and original cults surveillance, tracking down of magicians and frauds. Section V - Cults is subdivided into five operational Offices, which deal with the fight against cults according a thematic pattern: Satanic Cults Office, European Cults Office, Asiatic Cults Office, Islamic Cults Office and Christian-derived Cults Office. Classical Olympic (Greek-Roman) worshipping is not officially kept under surveillance.
  • Section VI - Local Police: this section is in charge for dealing with Local Police general affairs, coordination, surveillance, general regulation and with the operation of Local Police training facilities;
  • Section VII - Private security: this section is in charge for dealing with private security service and firms other than the private military/combat companies (which are not dealt with by the Administrative Police Division). It deals with general affairs, licensing, inspecting, regulations drafting and with the support of local Prefectures in this matter. A separate office, framed within Section VII, deals with credit recovery authorizations;
  • Section VIII - Common firearms: this section keeps control and under surveillance acquisition, possession and transfer of non-military grade firearms.
  • Section IX - Control of weapons and explosives: this section is in charge for dealing with military-grade weapons and all explosives for matters separated from the licenses (dealt with by Section I);
  • Section X - Games and Races;
  • Central Office for Information Exchange: in charge for Italian Empire-level information exchange related to weapons matters.
  • Central Censorship Office: in charge for coordinating all censorship efforts.
  • Central Identification Office.
  • Central Studies and Legislative Office.

Current Head of Division is Prefect, 1st Class Pasquale Ametrano.

Section X - Games and Races

Section X - Games and Races (Sezione X - Giochi e Corse) is tasked to ensure the respect of the regularity and the sincerity of the games, whatever they are, as well as the protection of the players and the defense of the interests of the State, and proceeds to the investigations administrative matters within the regulatory domain of games.
The Racing and Games Section is made up of five Offices: Office of Documentation and Coordination, Office of General Supervision of Casinos, Races Office, Office of Judicial Affairs and Observatory of Games Related to New Technologies.

Division VI - Criminal Police

Division VI - Criminal Police is the cornerstone office of the Directorate General of Public Security, being responsible for the coordination of all police investigations at the national level, with particular reference to the search and capture most dangerous fugitives and mafia-type criminal organisations, the crime-related information collection and analysis.
The Division is responsible for international cooperation in the fight against organised crime (drug trafficking, money laundering, trafficking in motor vehicles, counterfeiting, computer crime and environmental crime). The Division also manages and coordinates the collaborators of justice at the national level interventions related to the action of general prevention and control of the territory.
In order to fulfil its tasks, the Criminal Police Division has a number of Sections, Offices and other internal articulations, including the International Criminal Police Central Office (Ufficio centrale di polizia criminale internazionale, also known as "Interpol Italia").
The Division of Criminal Police is subdivided into five independent Offices and five Sections; offices directly dependent on the Chief of the Division are directed by Quaestors, 2nd Class (or equivalent), while Sections are led by Inspectors General.

  • Central Office of General Affairs;
  • Secretariat of the Head of Division (in charge for execution and support in coordination duties);
  • Central Office of Legal Affairs;
  • International Criminal Police Central Office;
  • Central Office for Criminal Data Protection: in charge for ensuring the avalaibility of personal data only for security or political purposes;
  • Section I - Central Protection Section;
  • Section II - Criminal Analysis Section;
  • Section III - Central Operational Section;
  • Section IV - Territorial Control Section:
  • Section V - Organised Crime Section.

Current Head of Division is Carabinieri Major General Marino Spada.

Section I - Central Protection Section

Section I - Central Protection Section (Sezione Centrale di Protezione, S.C.P.) implements special programs of protection and assistance to witnesses and other protected persons. The assistance programs include reintegration into social and working context. The Section also maintains relations with the Judicial bodies and Public Security peripheral organs, as well as with all the other ministries involved in the implementation of protective measures. The Section has as its own support structure 11 Inter-Provincial Operational Offices. The Section in turn consists of 6 Offices, led by Quaestors, 2nd Class (or equivalent): General and Anagraphic Affairs, Psychological support, Economic support, Witnesses, Collaborators of Justice and Special and Temporary Programs.

Section II - Crime Analysis Section

Section II - Crime Analysis Section (Sezione Analisi Criminale, S.A.C.) is the centre for the coordination of anti-crime information and strategic analysis on criminal phenomena. The section is divided into eight Offices and operates in constant relationship with other bodies of the Directorate General of Public Security and other police forces.
Offices, led by Quaestors, 2nd Class (or equivalent), subordinated to the Sections are:

  • Strategic Crime Analysis Office;
  • Strategic Studies Office;
  • Methodology Office;
  • Criminal Behaviour Analysis Office;
  • Archives Office, Statistical Analysis Office;
  • Major Public Contracts Analysis Office;
  • Suppression of Human Trafficking Office;
  • External Relations Office;
  • Support Office.

Section III - Central Operational Section

Section III - Central Operational Section (Sezione Centrale Operativa, S.C.O.) is the top body for the police investigation at the national level. It is an organisation consisting of civilian officials and police military personnel; the S.C.O. is engaged in the fight against organised crime, including the infiltration into sectors of the national economy. The S.C.O. is the primary point of reference for both INTERPOL and EUROPOL and for the criminal responsibilities of the Central Security Office (i.e. Anti-Mafia and Anti-Drugs Directorates); the area of intervention concerns investigations in a coordinated manner, with direct participation, in the most serious criminal phenomena and the development of operational analysis and consequent strategies to combat it. The Central Operational Section is divided into nine offices: Fugitives Office, Investigations Support Office, Organised crime and Narcotics Office, Human exploitation office, Common crime Office, Unsolved Crimes Office, Technical Support Office and Analysis Office. All Offices are headed and staffed by civlian officials and by military subofficers and troops.
Section III - Central Operational Section relies on two distinct units: the C.P.R. Central Investigative Group (Raggruppamento Investigativo Centrale, R.I.C.) and the CC.RR. Special Operational Group (Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale, R.O.S.). Those two units are partially autonomous and operate both under the guidance of the S.C.O. and under the direction of the respective General Command. The counterpart of the Royal Guard of Finance is the Central Service for Investigations against Organised Crime.
The Central Operational Section also relies on the 21 Criminal Police Centres within the Regional Offices of Public Security; these Centres depend functionally, technically and hierarchically on the S.C.O., which is the main body which the prosecutions delegate for investigations against organised crime.

Section IV - Territorial Control Section

Territorial Control Unit sleeve insignia.

Section IV - Territorial Control Section (Sezione Controllo Territoriale, S.C.T.) identifies and develops strategies for general prevention and control of territory. In addition, it directs the use of all resources allocated to prevention, at both central and peripheral levels. The Territorial Control Section deals with central management tasks, ensuring the monitoring of the various territorial instruments. For these needs, the Section makes a constant study, research and even international interchange.
The Territorial Control Units (Reparti Controllo Territriale, R.C.T.) depend directly on the Territorial Control Section, which plans to use them, and makes them available to the various Questure. The use of the 19 Territorial Control Units (commanded each by a C.P.R. Lieutenant Colonel) is planned by the Territorial Control Section in relation to the demands of the Quaestors, particularly when local resources are not sufficient.
Offices General Prevention and Public Assistance are organically inserted into provincial Questure and direct the work of the Crime Prevention Units on the ground.
Because the first Territorial Control Unit was established in 1976 within the Highway Police Service under the name of Anti-Crime Special Unit (Reparto Speciale Prevenzione Crimine), the C.P.R. personnel assigned to the Territorial Control Section still wear Rosso corsa berets and the Highway Police Service uniforms, although with their own sleeve insignia.

Division VII - Political Police

Division VII - Political Police (Divisione VII - Polizia Politica) is the political police branch of the internal intelligence of the Public Security Directorate. The tasks assigned to Division VII - Political Police consist in the investigation and suppression of anti-fascist movement, with particular attention to the communist organisation and to liberal activities. Due to the sensitivity of the task assigned, due to the fact that the Division VII represents half of the civilian State intelligence, and due to the fact that the Confidential Affairs Division is almost always held by a senior police official promoted to the rank of Prefect, 1st class, the Division VII - Political Police is led, as a general rule, by a senior and highly trusted Prefect who comes from the peripheral administration and by diverse administration experiences. This makes the appointment to lead the Political Police an highly coveted award and acknowledgement to the career: no political bargain is made for the Political Police, and its directors are among Duce's most trusted men. The Divisional head reports also to the Director General of the National Security.
The interrogation methods used by the special, small interrogation teams framed in central offices of Political Police are known to be though and sometimes brutal: serious injury and death have to be avoided, and interrogators have to hurt arrested people without leaving a mark.
Political Police is the first-line civilian internal intelligence of the fascist police system, mainly dealing with the collection and analysis of information through the use of informers, spies infiltrated in many different areas of society, not only in the rooms directly anti-fascists but also in Regime-controlled contexts, such as public administration, printing, entertainment, etc. Differently from Confidential Affair Division, the seventh Division has a more decentralised focus, while still stepping in when the phenomena grow up beyond the local context. Informants of the Political Police are paid through the fund of political investigation. In contrast with Division II, the Political Police Division has a heavily judicial-oriented approach and functions as a hub for the intelligence community, allowing the Confidential Affairs Division to pursue an autonomous and intelligence-centred work.
By the establishing decree, Division VII- Political Police consists of eleven subdivisions: a General Affairs and Personnel Section, charged with overall direction and management, a Security Secretariat, a Divisional Political Files Cabinet (Casellario Politico di Divisione) and eight operational Sections. The Central Office for Political Investigation and Special Operations (Ufficio Centrale per le Investigazioni Politiche e le Operazioni Speciali, U.C.I.P.O.S.) is directly subordinated to the Divisional Chief, provides coordination services.
These seven operational Sections are grouped into two intermediate Services, which group together similar Sections, in order to ease joint working and analysis. The Services are the Political Opposition Service, which groups Sections I, II and III, and the State Security Service, which groups Sections IV, V, VI and VII. Section VIII (General Intelligence) and the Divisional File Cabinet are outside the two Services. While such "Services" are directed by senior officials who have the same rank of the Section heads, they are kept distinct and they retain functional authority over them.

  • Political Opposition Service: the Service is in charge of ordinary montoring antifascists.
    • Section I - Liberal activities at home and abroad: the Section is responsible to counter the liberal anti-fascist activities, as well as to detect subversive plots originating in Western Europe, the U.S., British and French (former) colonies and North Africa, if they are directed both to the homeland or to the relevant Realm of the Italian Empire;
    • Section II - Islamic subversion and General Investigations: the Section deals with subversive plots if they originate in an Islamic environment, as well as with, on a purely domestic front, issues of Islamic immigrant dissenters and non-Islamic dissent which is not directed from abroad, as well as non-terror political offences such as smuggling of currency, anti-fascist trade unions and political personalities (and other ones); it also keeps an eye on cults deemed dangerous, although this is primary focus of the Administrative Police.
    • Section III - Leftist and Communist subversives;
  • State Security Service: the Service is in charge for dealing with any threat to the Italian State, focusing on terrorism.
    • Section IV - Anti-Terrorism: the Anti-Terrorism Section deals with all the phenomena of contrast to the domestic and international terrorism. It is not a judicial police service, so does not take, on an ongoing basis, tasks for the judicial authority. The Section coordinates and boost counter-terrorism sections of the local Political Offices. The Section is also a terminal of the whole information flow of national and international intelligence, as well as of the police investigations. The hub function assigned to Section IV in anti-terrorism matters makes it the police "spearhead" and the main interface of other non-intelligence police bodies. Section IV is further organised in thematic Offices: Communists, Western-sponsored and Islamic Terrorism. It is to note that the Central Office for Special Affairs of the Confidential Affairs Division carries out similar activities; the difference lies in the fact that the Central Office for Special Affairs carries out covert operations and not official police-related operations.
    • Section V - International Terrorism and Foreigners associations: the Section carries out surveillance tasks over foreigners associations (both Imperial and non-Imperial people) in order to counter international terrorism in its cradle. Originally being a mere subsection of Section IV, the Section maintains a close work relationship with the Section IV - Anti-Terrorism, and they often form joint working groups.
    • Section VI - State Security: it carries out investigations directly, or assists, directing them, those investigations carried out by other police departments for crimes against the State, of anarchist nature or against loyalty to Fascism, assisting and complementing the activities of the peripheral bodies. The Section can also claim for itself the investigations when it considers it necessary or when it is requested by the State Security Prosecution; the State Security Court relies on this Section for judicial police duties.
  • Section VII - Technical Support
  • Section VIII - General Intelligence
  • Section IX - General Affairs and Personnel
  • Central Office for Political Investigation and Special Operations
  • Divisional File Cabinet

Current Head of Division is Prefect, 1st Class Sergio Benvenuti.

Section VIII - General Intelligence

Section VIII - General Intelligence (Sezione VIII - Informazioni Generali, often shortened in Sezione Informazioni Generali, S.I.S.) provides for the activity of direction, direction and coordination of information and operations and analysis in the field of social or economic phenomena relevant for public order and safety, as well as for special high-risk interventions. The Section is divided into three Offices:

  • General Information Office: The Office deals with coordination and direction of investigative activities of the Political Offices concerning attacks, damaging threats and other criminal events relevant to public order and security of a matrix other than terrorist or subversive, corporate electoral offenses and against the public administration. The Office also deals with coordination and direction of investigations and prevention activities related to stadium violence.
  • General Analysis Office: The Office is responsible for the analysis of the situation of public order and public safety (in support of territorial political offices), and in relation to social phenomenologies and secret and forbidden associations.
  • Investigative Support Office: The Office has expertise in technical and operational support for investigations conducted by the Political Offices

Divisional File Cabinet

The Division has placed under its own a Divisional File Cabinet, in order to achieve operational autonomy from O.V.R.A. The Cabinet is operated by an autonomous computer system, and it is functionally subdivided into three parts:

  • an archive where all documents are inventoried according object, for example in antifascist groups and movements;
  • a personal archive format consisting of files relating to personalities;
  • an informants archive made up of files, each dedicated to an individual trustee and its activities.

Each informant recruited by the Political Police is assigned a number and a code name, such as spy "John Smith" has the number "543" and the code name of "Caesar", the number also distinguishes the informant's personal file. The informants activities consist mainly of the preparation of information reports about the subject or the subject watched. These reports are then to be sent to conventional address prepared for reception by the Division.
Upon receipt of the reports, the Copy Office produces three copies of each document. Of these three copies one is communicated to the Chief of Police, who decides which transmit daily to the Duce, another copy is sent to both the Central Security Office and the Confidential Affairs Division, and the third is assigned by the chief of Political police, according to the specific content of the report, to the official in charge for that field. Once acquired the single report, the practice follows the criterion for sorting groups of competence.

U.C.I.P.O.S.

The Central Office for Political Investigation and Special Operations (Ufficio Centrale per le Investigazioni Politiche e le Operazioni Speciali, U.C.I.P.O.S.) is directly subordinated to the Divisional Chief, provides coordination to the provincial Political Offices and to the anti-terrorism sections of the Carabinieri, in order to ensure a vast and constant coordination and mutual information activity; it also contains the "Special Interrogations Team", which allegedly uses torture against dangerous and tough dissidents.
The U.C.I.P.O.S. also has the task of collaborating with the intelligence services, as well as with the military police organs, exercising, exclusively or in any case with the functions of superintendency and management, the security and judicial police assignments connected to the activity of the intelligence bodies. Finally, the U.C.I.P.O.S. is in charge for executing operations abroad, both in the Italian Empire and in foreign countries.
The information management activity of the U.C.I.P.O.S. is of utmost importance, mainly because it is the body tasked to collect information from all peripheral police bodies not tasked with intelligence functions; while individual information bullettins directly and specifically concerned with specific terrorism alerts flow from the territorial body to Section IV, the general flow is directed towards the U.C.I.P.O.S., which in turn sorts information chunks to the relevant Service and/or proposes them to be forwarded to Division II - Confidential Affairs and/or to other intelligence and security bodies.

Political Office

At the peripheral level, within each Questura, there is a Political Office. The provincial Political Office (which has further subdivisions in Detached Commissariats) is entrusted of a variety of functions, which include the collection of information about the overall situation, including for the prevention of public order breaking, the investigation for the prevention and punishment of crimes against the State and against the public order, politically driven or terrorism offences and crimes.
The Political Offices are organised into three Sections:

  • Information section - general information, collection activities and analysis of information processing. The information sections monitors para-political, religious and sporting organisations, with particular attention paid to the supporters' organisations, radical movements and any other organisation or movement present and rooted in the territory which may have implications for public order and public security. It usually has a team for each topic, but some Political Offices may have more than one team devoted to a single area.
  • Investigation section: it carries out the judicial police activities in the areas of responsibility of the office, such as crimes committed at sports events, crimes against the State and any other crime with implications on the public order and security which is not attributable nor to common or organised crime nor to terrorism.
  • Counter-terrorism section: it carries out investigations in relation to terrorist groups; large cities have at least the international terrorism team.

Each Political Office maintains an its own political archive, which is kept distinct from the general archive; the Political Archive is directly managed by the Office personnel; only authorised external personnel may access the Political Archive. Only those deemed most dangerous subversives are reported to the central archives (both those of the Political Police Division and of the Confidential Affairs Division), while in the province the surveillance also extends to less important people. Personal files are opened after a central order or, more frequently, after a suggestion coming from the territorial general police organisations (such as Police Stations), from the local Party and Militia.
In Questure, Political Offices often have a phisically separate wing dedicated to their own use. Each Political Office head-quarters has a large hall which is used for internal meetings and news conferences. An ordinary Political Office is directed by a Deputy Quaestor, while important ones are led by Quaestors, 2nd Class. Officials in charge of the Sections only deal with the management of operational services, while personnel management is completely handled by the Detachments (of C.P.R. or Carabinieri military personnel) established in each Section. The Detachments are Squad-strength each (Platoons for CC), and they are commanded by the most senior available Subofficer.
Within each Carabinieri Provincial Command there is the Information Squad, whose task is to protect public security and public order, and to cooperate with the other agencies. The Information Squad also collects reports sent by Carabinieri Detachments in Political Offices.

Methods

Methods employed by the Political Police are notoriously harsh. When arrested, suspects or notorious dissidents and/or terrorists are given lenghty trips in the woods before being transferred at the Questura. Once they arrive to the police station, they are formally arrested (in order to avoid to have to report possible sensitive information obtained during the transfer to the prosecutor) and then are repeatedly beaten. When individuals who are notoriously responsible of shootings against the police are apprehended, the "Hall Ritual" is performed: two rows of policemen are formed and the individual is is forced to go through the double row and then is savagely beaten. Sometimes people remain permanently injured during this practice.

Division VIII - Border Police

Division VIII - Border Police (Divisione VIII - Polizia di Frontiera) is tasked with securing and protecting Italy's international borders from unlawful entry of both personnel and materiel. Key tasks include: fixed-point surveillance from border forts and annexes; security patrolling between fixed sites and ports of entry; interdiction of personnel, goods, and equipment in the international border regions and the coastal area; and detention, processing, and exploitation of dissidents and contraband. The Division is organised into 10 Border Police Regions and is the body responsible for all the management of the activities related to land and sea borders protection, in cooperation with the M.V.S.N., Carabinieri, the Royal Guard of Finance and the Navy (Coast Guard). urrent Head of Division is C.P.R. Major General Pietro Ruffolo.
Border police are divided into ground, sea and air border police services. The border police serivce is carried out:

  • By the Royal Police Corps under the direction of a civilian official of Public Security at airport, seaport, railway and highway accesses, as well as at border accesses in provincial capitals and in Municipalities where it exists a Commissariat of P.S. staffed by the C.P.R.;
  • By the Royal Carabinieri under the supervision of a civilian official of Public Security at ground and sea accesses without any presence of the C.P.R.;
  • By the Coast Guard under the directives of the Border Police Division;
  • By the M.V.S.N. (all branches) as support to Coast Guard, Royal Carabinieri and C.P.R. Usually an O.V.R.A. officer is stationed at commissariats. It is not uncommon for contingents of the 4th "M" Regiment of the Italian National Royal Guard to be deployed at M.V.S.N. commands of the Italian-French border in support to Provincial Legions, while Border Militia detachments on the Eastern Border usually do not receive G.N.R. reinforcements (also due to the more intense presence of the regular military).

The Royal Guard of Finance provide specialised personnel in order to deal with custom duties, but also for additional surveillance.

Ground Border Police Service

The Ground Border Police Service (Servizio di Polizia di Frontiera Terrestre) is carried out by the following offices:

  • Zone Offices;
  • Sector offices;
  • Fixed posts.

The Zones are determined by the border section corresponding to each of the four neighboring States. The Zone offices are:

  • I Zone - "France" - based in Turin;
  • II Zone - "Switzerland" - based in Como;
  • III Zone - "Germany" - based in Bolzano;
  • IV Zone - "Yugoslavia" - based in Trieste.

A civilian official of public security with the rank of Inspector General is in charge of each Zone. He directs the action of the dependent Sectors and supervises the good performance of the operations, gives the special service rules (also in harmony with the local Prefects and territorial military commanders), reports monthly to the Minister of the Interior, communicates to the territorial military commander all news or information of military interest, directs personnel and exercises disciplinary power.
Sectors include one or more road crossings, railways or lake landings authorised to transit, and one or more non-authorised crossings or one or more crossings reserved for persons provided with a special pass. The Sector Office is headed by a Public Safety Officer of Police Inspector. Where no appropriate public security offices are set up, the local Questura or the Commissariat Public Security perform the functions of Sector Office. There are 18 Border Police Ground Sector Offices. The Sector Office performs the service of the border crossing point to which it is assigned, supervises the functioning of the crossings included in the Sector, directs and supervises the activity of the supervisory posts of the various police bodies. The Royal Carabinieri, the GRdF, and the M.V.S.N. contribute to the completion of border services with fixed places; the Carabinieri, through their ordinary territorial organisation, supervise the area of the territory behind the frontier, with particular attention to the villages near the border.

Maritime border police services

In major ports there is a Seaport Border Police Office. It provides the border police services, reporting directly to the Minister the most important incidents, and to the local Questura for the facts that may have an impact on the public order and security. The Seaport Border Office maintains relations with the Coast Guard and the Port Captaincy, and helps to ensure compliance with the instructions given by the Port Commander and the other authorities, provides for all tasks of public order and security, depending on the provincial authority of public security and contributes to ensuring the protection of the maritime domain.
Personnel of the Royal Police Corps depends on the relevant Provincial Group Command. The G.R.d.F. contributes to border police services during normal service activities. Currently, there are 15 Seaport Border Police Offices.
Equally important to prevent and repress clandestine entry of people it is the action carried out along the "open" maritime border. In fact, the control device at the land borders is further supplemented by specific surveillance plans at sea and on the coasts that see the participation of the Public Security Administration, the Coast Guard and the Navy, engaged with men and vehicles in contrasting the immigration.

Airport border police services

In the main civilian airports of the State, used permanently to the traffic of people and goods, the air border police service is carried out by an "Airport Border Police Office". The Office is in charge of the border police, which it exercises through public security personnel and the Carabinieri. There are 20 Airport Border Police Offices; at other airports and airfields, border police functions are entrusted to the local Questura or to the Carabinieri.
The Office provides the border police, communicating to the Minister the most significant incidents and to the competent local police offices of the facts that may relate to the order and public security and maintains relations with the direction of the airport regarding the border police.

Specialised Units for Sensitive Flights Security

The Specialised Units for Sensitive Flights Security (Unità Specializzate Sicurezza Voli Sensibili, U.S.Si.Vo.S.) are two units part of the Border Police Office at the Roma-Fiumicino and Milano-Malpensa Airports, which deal exclusively with airport security services in the areas used for check-in and flight boarding. They target flights heading to countries considered to be at high risk of a terrorist attack, such as the United States of America and Israel.
The specialised units are based at the Fiumicino airport (Rome) and the Malpensa airport (Milan); at the head of each Unit there is a Civilian Official of Public Security, who is employed by the relevant Border Police Office. This Unit is placed in the organisation chart of the Border Police Office (within the Prevention and Security Sector), generally headed by a C.P.R. Captain or Lieutenant.

Central organisation

The Division is subdivided into three Sections: General Affairs, Borders and Immigration contrast.

  • Section I - General and legal affairs: the Section deals with the planning and planning of objectives, the management of personnel and means, the collection and processing of data relating to immigration, the issuance of passports. The Section is divided into three Offices: legal affairs office, organisation office, accounting office.
  • Section II - Borders: the Section is the element tasked with the management of 53 air, sea and land ports of entry within Italy, responsible for securing ports of entry from internal and external threats and for coordinating Ministerial support to the land points of Entry. The Section manages 18 Border Police Sectors (responsible for land ports, airports and land accesses), 15 Border Police Offices at sea ports, 20 Border Police Offices at airports and 12 Border Police Offices at integrated air and seaports. This Section does not have authority over the numerous tenant ministry organisations located at each of the ports. In some cases, there can be up to 10 different ministries working at a land port, making coordination and efficient port operation quite difficult and the Prefect's activity is under pressure.
  • Section II - Immigration contrast: the Section deals with immigration contrast and the police cooperation, both at the international and at the Empire level. The Section is divided into four Offices: Immigration Contrast and Foreigners without Permits Office; Sea contrast and Liaison Officers Office (in liaisson with the Coast Guard); International and Empire Relationships Office; Stay Permits and Immigration Offices Coordination Office. The Section deals with Division III - Imperial Borders and Internal and Authorised Migration of the Directorate-General for Public Security of the Italian Empire.

Territorial organisation

On the ground, the Border Police is subdivided into:

  • 18 Border Police Ground Sectors (ground-based entry points);
  • 15 Seaport Border Police Offices;
  • 20 Airport Border Police Offices;
  • 12 Border Police Offices at integrated air and seaports.

Division IX - Transportation Police

The Division (It.: Divisione IX - Polizia dei Trasporti) groups the two main specialities of Public Security: Traffic Police and Railway Police. The institutional responsibilities specialities are called to fulfil is the safety and security of transportations, of railway lines and of the border. Operators have a high level of professionalism, thanks to the frequency of specific courses at educational institutions of specialities. Each speciality is organised into a "Service", directed by an Inspector General or by a Quaestor 1st Class, assisted by two or more Quaestors 2nd Class. Both Services are characterised by an high degree of militarisation: civilian officials are assigned only to the central offices and all the chain of command consists of military officers who, once assigned to the Division, complete their career in the Service which they are assigned to.
Current Head of Division is Prefect, 2nd Class Furio Zoccano.

Highway Police Service

The Highway Police Service (Servizio Polizia Stradale) activity takes place on the Italian highway network and on main roads outside highways. It is commanded by officers of the Royal Police Corps, while all other sectors are directed by public security officials. The Service performs tasks of prevention and detection of traffic violations and of traffic accidents, manages inventories for traffic safety, the use of the road assets, helps in the relief operations and detects the traffic flows. The Service Command is subdivided into four Offices, each led by a Colonel:

  • Office I - Personnel, Training and General Affairs; the Office also operates the Traffic Police Training Centre (Centro Addestramento Polizia Stradale, C.A.P.S.).
  • Office II - Operations and Statistical Analysis; the Office is the operational subdivision, which coordinates the activities of prevention, suppression and rescue. The Office prepares road escorts and road surveillance targeted services. In addition, it deals with the statistical analysis and manages the Central Operations Room Information and Coordination Centre for Road Safety (Centro di Coordinamento per la Sicurezza Stradale, Ce.Co.S.S.).
  • Office III - Analysis;
  • Office IV - Technical equipment and Accounting.

At peripheral level, 19 Inter-provincial Compartments operate with as many Motorways Operations Centres (all commanded by Lieutenant Colonels) and 110 Provincial Sections (led by Majors); in turn, Sections have, as detached bodies, 81 Subsections and 188 Detachments, commanded by junior officers. In Cesena there is the Traffic Police Training Centre and the Special Operations Unit is based in Rome.

Railway Police Service

The Railway Police Service (Servizio Polizia Ferroviaria) is a service of Public Security, responsible for the prevention and suppression of crime and the maintenance of order and public safety in the railway sector. The railway police service has as its purpose the prevention and repression of crimes, the protection of public order and of the safety of citizens in the field of transport carried out on railway lines, on parked trains, or in the run, in railway plants and in all their pertinence or in any sector of the railway service.
The service ensures surveillance in railway stations, on trains and in transit patrols along the line in collaboration with both the CC. and M.V.S.N. station. In particular, it provides supervision of railways and their dependencies, supervision of the regular circulation of convoys and to guarantee the integrity of travelers and goods, and supervision of the correct observance of laws and regulations that directly concern the safety of railways and the regularity of transport in the field of railway services.
The tasks for the protection of the interests of the Treasury, the maintenance of order and the prevention and repression of offenses in the railway sector are attributed to the Royal Police Corps. The personnel of the Royal Police Corps in charge of the railway police services perform their duties under the direction and responsibility of the Commissariats of Public Security established in the Compartmental Offices of the State Railways.
The general organisation of the service is carried out by the personnel of the Royal Police Corps assigned to the railway police services and is managed by the Directorate General of Public Security - Division IX. Within the Directorate General of Public Safety, an Inspector General is tasked with supervising the railway police services carried out by the Commissariats of Public Security, keeping the necessary connections with the State Railways Administration.
The activity of the Inspector General is directed by the Head of the Transportation Police Division, in order to guarantee the uniformity of police action in the specific sectors. The supervision of the security services at the Ministry of Transport is separated from the railway police.

Territorial organisation

The Railway Police Service is organised on a territorial basis in peripheral offices, consisting of 17 "Railway Police Compartments" (based in Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Ajaccio, Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Turin, Trieste, Venice, Verona, corresponding with the Railways Compartments), which control the peripheral, smaller detachments (17 "Sections", 27 "Subsections", 153 "Railway Police Posts"). Each Railway Police Compartment is staffed by a C.P.R. Group.
While being primarily staffed by C.P.R. military personnel, a civilian Public Security Official directs the Railway Police Compartment; he corresponds with the Director of the relevant State Railways Compartment for everything concerning the good performance of the railway police service. In particular, he arranges the surveillance and escort services according to a plan drawn up in agreement with the Director of the State Railways Compartment. The public security official, moreover, carries out requests for information from the railway offices on the aspiring contractors and porters assigned to the airports, on the aspiring railway guardians, on the aspiring supervisors in the railway stations and on the concessions within the railway stations; in addition, the public security official informs the railway administration offices of persons who are currently in disputes with the railway administration.

Central organisation

The Railway Police Service is organised, at the central level, in five offices, each directed by a Quaestor, 2nd Class:

  • Office I - Planning and Coordination: The Office provides strategic planning and manages the coordination with the State Railways and the Railway Militia and with the dedicated Carabinieri units (mainly CC. Stations established in the proximity of the railway station);
  • Office II - Analysis: The Office running the study and analysis of data on rail safety, monitors the technological innovation;
  • Office III - Personnel and Material Resources: The Office develops strategies for employment of staff (including training) and is responsible for logistics;
  • Office IV - Propaganda: The Office manages the propaganda for rail security;
  • Office V - International Relations: The Office collaborates with the organs of the Railway Police of the neighbouring countries for the realization of joint services.

Airport Police Service

The Airport Police Service (Servizio Polizia Aeroportuale) is a specialised Public Security service, which consists of personnel trained in airport security, also in order to deter, prevent and counter terrorist acts. In addition to the traditional police and public security duties, the Airport Police act as the Air Navigation Police, such as aircraft control, complaints of breaches of aviation law and the surveillance of sensitive or confidential airport areas. Functionally, the Service depends on the Ministry of Transportations.

Present on the major airports of Italy, the Airport Police Service is competent throughout the national territory to ensure the traditional missions of the public security, air navigation police missions (such as aircraft control, findings of aviation law violations, judicial investigations following aircraft accidents and incidents), as well as the security missions of the airport security restricted areas.
The Airport Police Service personnel receive specific training in order to acquire a professional knowledge of this sector. Led by an Inspector General, assisted by a headquarters located in Rome, the Airport Police Service is articulated in two Airport Police Service Groups with 20 Airport Police Stations (located at major airports and are assisted by the nearest Territorial Police Stations) and several Airport Police Posts, which have less autonomy and personnel assigned. At the airports there are also the proper bodies of the Border Police which are kept separated.
The Airport Police Service has a national investigantion section and two subordinate investigantion units (north and south). The investigantion section is competent in the judicial field during air crashes in mainland Italy or abroad when it is a company either Italian or foreign but with Italian nationals.

Division X - Scientific Police and Forensics

The Division of Scientific Police is the centralised structure which intervenes when particular expertise in the field of the natural sciences is required. The Division manages the Cabinets of Scientific Police (inter-provincial and provincial levels) and Signalling and Documentation Posts. From its establishment, which dates back to 1902, the Scientific Police has continually improved its ability to intervene and has acquired a great experience that has always placed at the service of citizens and institutions.
The Division is centrally organised into four Sections, in turn subdivided into five or six Offices each:

  • General and Legal Affairs Office;
  • Section I - General Affairs and Support: General and Personnel Affairs Office; Resources Office; Training Office; Technical Support and Violent Crime Analysis Office; Forensics and Criminology-Applied Psychology Office; Information Systems Office;
  • Section II - Identification services;
  • Section III - Chemical and Electronic Investigations;
  • Section IV - Ballistic and Biological Investigations.

Current Head of Dicision is Prefect, 2nd Class Pericle Coccia.

Territorial organisation

The Division of Scientific Police directs 14 Inter-provincial cabinets of Scientific Police in Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Padua, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Rome and Turin. The Inter-provincial cabinets have jurisdiction with regard to the photographic signalling, the Inspection of the Scientific Police, the electronic documentation in investigative services and the services of public policy, the design of the face in order to support identification, the exaltation of latent papillary imprints, fingerprint comparisons, graphic and ballistic investigations. They also have responsibility about the regeneration of the abraded serial numbers, documents and drugs examination.
The Provincial cabinets of Scientific Police are established in every Questura (with the exception of those where there is already the Inter-provincial Cabinet) and are framed into the Anti-Crime Division. They have specific responsibility to carry out the Inspection of the Scientific Police and photographic identification. The activity of the provincial cabinets, if necessary, is coordinated by the leaders of Inter-provincial cabinets, which are directly involved in directing the operations of particular gravity.
The Signalling and documentation Posts are located at the Commissariats of Public Security particularly involved in combating crime and protecting public order and security. They have specific responsibility to carry out the technical inspection and photographic identification.

Advanced Surveillance Units

An Advanced Surveillance Unit (Italian: Unità di Sorveglianza Avanzata) is two or more policemen drawn from the local Cabinet of Scientific Police, in order to gather intelligence on the ground and to disrupt activists and deter anti-social behaviour during rallies and demonstrations. They use cameras, camcorders and audio recorders to conduct overt surveillance of the public and to gather intelligence against protesters: anybody who is active outside the sanctioned channels is filmed, identified, monitored, logged, and cross-checked.
The aim of Advanced Surveillance Units deployment during protests is to inhibit all protests, to conduct surveillance of independent and/or foreign journalists and to stop them. Operational Surveillance Teams are deployed both in uniform and in plainclothes.

Division XI - Contracts and management of supplies

Division XI - Contracts and management of supplies (It.: Divisione XI - Contratti e gestione dei rifornimenti) performs monitoring and analysis of the logistical and financial requirements of the administration of the Public Security bodies and ensures the overall planning, in liaison with other offices in the matters of their respective competence. The Division takes also care of the financial programming and carries out the administrative and accounting procedures for the management of expenditures. It is to note that this Division is manned almost exclusively by civilian personnel, seconded from the wider Interior administration.
With regard to logistics, the Division carries out analysis of existing operating assets and ensures the procurement, administration and management of all resources, goods, materials, equipment and prepares the general plan of distribution. The Division is divided into three Sections:

  • Section I - General Affairs and Planning: the section deals with with secretariat duties and with the financial planning tasks. It groups two offices, the Office planning and general affairs and the Office contractual activities;
  • Section II - General equipment: the section is responsible for providing supplies services related to non technologically-advanced/IT equipment. Furthermore, it is responsible for carrying out market analysis in order to find out most suitable equipment. Within the Section there are four offices: Motorization Office, Equipment Office, Market Analysis and Assessment Office, Technical Facilities Office;
  • Section III - IT: the Section oversees the informatics and telecommunications supplying sector, with two offices: Telecommunications and IT Office and Innovation Office.

Current Head of Division is Prefect, 2nd Class Raniero Cotti Borroni.

Technical Advisory Commission

The Technical Advisory Commission (Commissione Tecnica Consultiva) has the task of expressing the technical opinion on all the necessary supplies for the services and police forces to which the Ministry of the Interior is required by law or regulation, as well as on the disposal of the related materials. The Technical Advisory Commission is chaired by an Official with a qualification not inferior to the Prefect of First Class (or Director General of First Class) and is composed of:

  • the heads of the Divisions: Contracts and supplies, Technical services and telecommunications, Motorization of the Directorate General of Public Security;
  • a public security official with a rank not inferior to the Inspector General;
  • a general officer of the Royal Police Corps;
  • a general officer of the Royal Carabinieri;
  • the Director of the Inspectorate of Accountancy of the Directorate General of Public Security;
  • an official of the Ministry of National Economy - General Accounting Office of the State, inspectorate general of finance, with a rank not inferior to Inspector General.

The Technical Advisory Commission is complemented by at least two experts chosen by the Chairman in reaction to the matters on the agenda of each meeting. An official of the Civil Administration of the Interior in charge of the Directorate-General exercises the functions of secretary of the commission. The Chairman, the members and the secretary of the commission are appointed by decree of the minister for the interior. With the same ministerial decree, a list of experts is set up, in which, on the designation of the respective Ministries, they are enrolled in service activities of different State Administrations, with a rank not inferior to Sectional Director (equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel), who are particularly competent in the technical-accounting sector or who have acquired a specific aptitude in the matters covered by the committee's consultative activity.
The Chief of Police has the right to hear the commission on the technical aspects of the annual related spending proposals. The Technical Advisory Commission also expresses its technical opinion on the detailed program prepared by the Directorate General of Public Security for the use of funds available under the budget chapters for the purchase of goods and services.

Division XIII - Technical Services and Telecommunications and Post Police

Division XIII - Technical Services and Telecommunications and Post Police is one of the units of the Administration of Public Security, whose functions include the investigation of cybercrime. The Division is the central body of the Ministry of Interior for its safety and regularity of telecommunications services.
The Division is the specialised department for all the control and suppression of unlawful falling within the field of communications, as well as postal illicit criminal activities by means of the Internet, and in general cybercrime. In addition, the Division is working closely with the Ministry of Communications, with the regional inspectorates of the Ministry of communications of economic development and other institutional and corporatist entities. It also performs criminal police investigations in general for all those crimes related to the computer-crime/cybercrime/social engineering, and for all the offences committed in place with the latest technology and tools, which aim to create or give damage to these technologies and tools.
The judicial police activities are mainly offences related to hacking, phone, privacy breaches, postal offences, intellectual property in telecommunications (in close cooperation with the G.R.d.F.), on-line child pornography, monitoring of radio and television frequencies, on-line frauds, money laundering, frauds with credit cards or debit cards, frauds related to home banking, political subversion, terrorism, drugs, arms and explosives, prostitution, as well as all traditional offences that have as their aim or tool telematics and computer network.
Current Head of Division is Oscar Pettinari.

Central organisation

The Central Service, based in Rome, coordinates the activities of the 21 postal police compartments, located in all the regional capitals (with exception of Veneto). The GRdF Informatic Offences Special Unit (Unità Speciale Reati Informatici, U.S.R.I.) is framed within the Central Service, in order to ensure the closest cooperation with the Division. The Central Service is headed by the divisional head, who is a First Class Quaestor, and is divided into five Sections.

  • Section I - Planning: Section care coordination and strategic planning of services and activities, manages the technical and legal issues of the nature of the sector and agreements with external entities. In addition, it is responsible for the archive management and for the management and security of the internal network. It consists of 5 offices.
  • Section II - Forensic Computing: Section is responsible for the coordination and the technical and investigative support in the field of computer forensics. It consists of three technical offices.
  • Section III - Child pornography: the Section is responsible for the management of the National Centre for the Fight against Child Pornography. The Section therefore it elaborates the methodology and of the intervention strategy, as well as the coordination of activities to prevent and contrast. The Section consists of 4 offices.
  • Section IV - Computer Related Crime: Section (composed of 9 offices) ensure coordination of the prevention and fight against cybercrime and violations on postal offenses, offenses relating to telephony, online fraud and e-commerce, protection of copyright, illegal on radio frequencies and electromagnetic pollution and on the subject of games, lotteries and betting. The Section provides for international cooperation and manages the Office of Analysis Cybercrime.
  • Section V - Infrastructure Protection: Section is responsible for liaising with O.V.R.A. for cyber critical infrastructure protection (National Computer Centre for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures). The Section carries out the activities of the Judicial Police for the prevention and suppression of crimes against the national interest infrastructure. The Section is responsible for the protection of the Italian banking system and the electronic payment system and to connect with the intelligence agencies for the prevention and fight against domestic and international terrorism and threats to national security conducted by computer.

Peripheral organisation

The 21 Compartments have regional jurisdiction and are generally headed by a Second Class Quaestor (or a C.P.R. Colonel). The compartments in turn coordinate their respective Provincial Sections within their areas of jurisdiction. The heads of sections are generally Marshals.

Division XV - Police Health Service

The Division XV - Police Health Service is the administrative structure that directs and coordinates both civilian and military health activities. The Division head is the a Prefect, who previously held the position of Chief of Health Service of the Royal Police Corps (a Major General). Physicians of the Administration of Public Security may be civilian doctors, framed as medical officials, or medical officers, members of the Royal Police Corps.
Centrally, the Division is subdivided into:

  • Section I - Health General Affairs;
  • Section II - Psychology: the Section manages the work and health psychology, investigative psychology, forensic psychology and communication psychology;
  • 3 Central Medical Institutes (Toxicology, Neurology and Medical Psychology, Preventive and Labour Medicine);
  • Monitoring Centre for Labour Safety. All the central bodies are staffed with civilian and military personnel.

Peripheral organisation

The peripheral structure of the Division is complex and articulated according to a double chain of command. Every Interregional Directorate of Public Security has a Health Service Division (dependent on Division XV): the latter controls, directs and coordinates the Provincial Health Offices, which are part of the Questure, as well as the Interregional Police Hospitals. The Provincial Health Offices are in charge of both military and civilian personnel attached to the Questure, as well as of providing medical personnel to police investigations and to prefectorial tasks.
The Interregional Command of the Military Corps with Police Duties have their own Medical Sections, in charge of providing medical services to those military units of the Military Corps with Police Duties which are not framed into a mixed (military+civilian personnel) office. In addition to the unit medical assistance, the Interregional Command and its Health Section are in charge of providing (military) medical officers to the Joint Military Hospitals.
Current Head of Division is Director General of P.S. in charge of Special (Health) Office Quintilio Baracca.

Interregional Public Security Hospitals

The Interregional Public Security Hospitals carry out diagnostic activities, including specialist ones, statistical and epidemiological struggle activities and assessment of the assessment of the healthiness of the workplace. The diagnostic activities are aimed at assessing suitability for the service and promoting staff health. The Interregional Public Security Hospitals are directly reporting to the Health Service Divisions responsible for the territory.

Inspectorates of Public Security

Inspectorates and Special Offices of Public Security which have no territorial jurisdiction but are established for special tasks of surveillance and protection. Inspectorates depend directly on the Chief of Police. Each Inspectorate has at its disposal a Group of the Royal Police Corps or of the Royal Carabinieri, with the exception of the Inspectorate of P.S. "Viminale", which operates the Autonomous Group.

  • Inspectorate of Public Security "Vaticano" - for the protection of the Holy Father and vigilance of the Holy See
  • Inspectorate of Public Security "Palazzo Venezia" - for the protection of the Chief of the Government and for the surveillance of the seat of government
  • Inspectorate of Public Security "Chamber of Fasci and Corporations" - for the protection of the President and the supervision of the registered
  • Inspectorate of Public Security "Viminale" - for the protection of the Minister of the Interior, under-secretaries and the monitoring of the complex of the Interior Ministry. Special Offices of Public Security at some ministries depend on the Inspectorate at the Ministry of Interior. These Special Offices of P.S. are in turn in charge both to guarantee the Ministry security and to provide relevant police services overall direction.

Inspectorates of Public Security are headed by officials of Public Security with the position of Inspector General.

Special Inspectorate of Public Security at the Ministry of Health

The Special Inspectorate of Public Security at the Ministry of Health (Ispettorato Speciale di P.S. presso il Ministero della Salute) is placed directly under the Minister of Health; members of the Inspectorate have therefore the powers of the Health Inspectors; therefore they may act, by day and by night, in all those places where there is production, administration, storage or sale of products intended for human or animal use. These powers are exercised independently from the powers of agents and officers of judicial police, as well as from the powers of agents and officers of public security.
The Inspectorate also has responsibility in the field of international prophylaxis of infectious and contagious diseases, air, border and maritime health, as well as manufacture and sale of medicines. In addition, it oversees the cosmetics and herbal medicine, on the production of medical devices, medical devices and diagnostics, hygiene and public health, and animal health. Finally, the Inspectorate oversees the production and trade of legal drugs for the preparation of pharmaceuticals. The most serious and dangerous adulteration come very often by the operator located at a considerable distance from each other, so the activities are beyond the control of local authorities, subject to territorial limitations, but can be well contrasted by the Inspectorate, characterised by a top-down organisation, and thus be able to have a global vision.
Officers, Officials and Marshals of the Inspectorate are carefully selected according to a specific attitude and investigative experience, according to an adequate degree (preferably in technical matters) and the successful completion of a course lasting two months. The troops is also subject to ongoing training, but does not have constraints with respect to the qualification. The Health Inspectorate (as it is often colloquially nicknamed) and the Scientific Police Division often collaborate for the purpose of investigation, and the exchange of personnel and knowledge is common.
Lectures and exercises are carried out by officials of the Ministry of Health, researchers from the Institute of Health and Officers and Officials of the Inspectorate; students are taught the concepts of chemistry, parasitology, microbiology, food science and product category. The professional training is regularly updated and enriched with courses and seminars, during which contingent problems are addressed and developed operating systems for more effective action against the adulteration and supervision in the health sector in general.
The Special Inspectorate is divided into:

  • 1 Central Office, commanded by an Inspector General, based in Rome;
  • 1 Deputy Commander, with the rank of Quaestor 2nd Class , who has direct responsibility for operating activities;
  • 1 Office Command, headed by a Deputy Quaestor, for the coordination of operational aircraft purposes, logistics and personnel management;
  • 3 Detached Groups, supported by officials (Quaestors 2nd Class or Deputy Quaestors), based in Milan, Rome and Naples. Detached Groups are placed directly under the Deputy Commander;
  • 37 Adulteration and Health Teams (Squadre Antisofisticazione e Salute, SAS), the executive bodies commanded by Commissioners or Marshals, located in the 21 regional capitals and in several provincial capitals. Teams are placed in the employ of the respective Detached Groups.

The operational work carried out by the Inspectorate develops through three main operating modes. First of all, the Inspectorate conducts investigation proceedings, which consists of investigations to stamp out illegal activities in the specific field of adulteration, food and health care fraud. Such investigations are very long and laborious, requiring investigative acumen, outstanding professionalism and knowledge of the socio-economic context in which they operate; judicial police investigations in the field of food adulteration are conducted with operational criteria that substantially differ from the normal law enforcement techniques.
In addition to investigations, the Inspectorate uses also monthly planned checks, in one or more areas of intervention throughout the national territory and, finally, control services in the national targets previously identified, planned in consultation with the Ministry of Health. These are monitoring operations on particular sectors of the productive, commercial and socio-ethical spheres, aimed at ascertaining the exact application of laws and regulations and to obtain useful statistics also memories to verify the effectiveness of the control and to identify areas most at risk on which to bring together the most appropriate interventions.

Special Inspectorate of Public Security at the Ministry of National Culture

The Special Inspectorate of Public Security at the Ministry of National Culture (Ispettorato Speciale di P.S. presso il Ministero della Cultura Nazionale) has the task to deal with, using effective tools and targeted interventions, the alarming phenomenon of cultural and monumental impoverishment of Italy. The Inspectorate is functionally subordinate to the Minister of National Culture, Tourism and Sport. The Inspectorate carries out judicial police investigations, combating all offences about the Italian cultural heritage. In particular, it focuses on clandestine excavations at archaeological sites, theft and illegal trafficking of artwork, on damage to monuments and archaeological sites, on the illegal export of cultural property and on forgery of works of art. In addition, the Inspectorate also fights recycling operations related to illegal trafficking in cultural objects. For these purposes, the Inspectorate also performs routine surveillance on exhibitions, fairs, auctions both in Italy and abroad as well as against antique dealers, restorers and art dealers.
As specialised body, the Inspectorate also operates the database about cultural offences, both against the material heritage and against the national spirit and cultural dote, and supports (for technical surveys) the regular surveillance and monitoring of cultural sites, including those protected by the UNESCO. The surveillance is carried out in close relationship and liaison with Universities, the Arts Superintendence, and Catholic Church authorities.
The Inspectorate is led by the Inspector, who ranks Inspector General (assisted by a Lieutenant Colonel for the CPR Group), and is composed of a central Division, in Rome, which in turn is articulated on a Support Section and on an Operations Sections.
The Support Section deals with logistics and administrative support, and includes the Secretariat, the Civilian Personnel Office, the Operations Planning Office and the Data Processing Office. The Operations Sections organises and carries out the most important operations, and provides operational supports to the peripheral structure. The Operations Sections includes four themed offices: the Antiques Office, the Archaeology Office, the Office for Falsification and the Office of Contemporary Art.
Finally, the peripheral structure, which is directed and coordinated by the Deputy Inspector (ranking Quaestor, 2nd Class), is articulated on 15 Teams, which have regional or interregional responsibility.

Inspectorate General for the General Affairs

The Inspectorate General for General Affairs (Ispettorato Generale per gli Affari Generali, I.G.A.G.) has the task of monitoring the execution of orders and directives of the Minister and the Chief of Police, to report on the activities carried out by the offices and peripheral organs and verify the effectiveness of the services. The Inspectorate also has supervisory functions in the field of safety and health in the workplace and leans to the Interregional Directorates for territorial decentralization. Finally, the General Inspectorate has also some functions of inspection and control on the activities undertaken by the Central Offices.
The Inspectorate General is headed by a Director, ranking Director General of Public Security in charge of Special Office, who directs a corps of 28 Inspectors General, who depend directly on the Director, and four Sections. The Inspectors General are each assisted by a 3-4 men team.

  • Section I - General Affairs
  • Section II - Internal Affairs
  • Section III - Inspection and Control
  • Section IV - Safety in the Workplace

Section I - General Affairs

Section I - General Affairs (Sezione I - Affari Generali) deals with general affairs, organisational, technical and logistical support, personnel management and training, the Archives, correspondence and the Security Secretariat. The General Affairs Section also provides assistance to the Director for planning programs and objectives in the context of strategic and management control.

Section II - Internal Affairs

Section II - Internal Affairs (Sezione II - Affari Interni) works directly under the Director and performs, at the request of the Minister of the Interior or of the Chief of Police, investigative and informative acquisition concerning facts or situations concerning the execution of orders from the Minister and from Chief of Police, as well as on the efficiency of the services and the correct administrative management. The Section also carries out information activities regarding the control of employees.

Section III - Inspection and Control

Section III - Inspection and Control (Sezione III - Ispezione e Controllo) takes care of all the inspections and acts as a link between the central offices of the Inspectorate and the Provincials. The Office is responsible for assessing the general performance of offices, mainly in terms of efficiency and correct asset and financial management. It also has the task of formulating evaluations and proposals to improve efficiency. The Inspection and Control Section also analyses the results of the verification activities and provides the summary of the results of inspection, indicating the issues raised. The section is divided into two offices: Office for Coordination and Inspection Activity and the Management and Studies Office.

Section IV - Safety in the Workplace

Section IV - Safety in the Workplace (Sezione IV - Sicurezza sul luogo di lavoro) carries out the surveillance activities on health, health and safety in the workplace of the offices of the Public Security Administration, in collaboration with the National Corps of Fire Militia. The Safety in the Workplace Section is responsible for verifying compliance with the requirements in the restricted areas of the Ministry of Interior and the peripheral offices. The Section has three offices; two offices are governed by a Director of Division (Medical) of Public Security, and an office is ruled a Director of Division (Technical) of Public Security. The Vigilance Office deals with programmed and emerging surveillance at all restricted facilities of the Ministry of Interior; the Studies Office manages the study and analysis of the current legislation for the purpose of training and retraining of doctors in charge of the specific field of supervision; finally, the Technical Office carries out studies and consultancy, technical surveys carried out in the workplace and on construction sites in areas dependent on the Ministry of Interior.

Interregional Directorate of Public Security

The Interregional Directorates of Public Security (Direzioni Interregionali di Pubblica Sicurezza) are 5 interregional offices linking the Capital and the Regional Offices of Public Security (which have a data collecting co-ordination duty) and serving to ensure the functioning of the system. The Directorates operate reporting to the Chief of Police for the exercise of the decentralised inspection and control functions in all offices and peripheral organs of the administration of public security within their boundaries and for the carrying out of the decentralised organisational and administrative functions. The Interregional Directorates also contribute also to the development of plans and programs relating to the procurement, supply and allocation of human resources, equipment and logistics and the related checks. All the Interregional Directorates of P.S. (and their CPR counterparts) are based in Regional capital cities or towns, with the exception of the North East Interregional Directorate of Public Security, which is based in Padua.
The Directorates have a primary responsibility for general affairs, for the personnel and resources use to meet temporary requirements, for transfers for environmental compatibility and to return to service. Finally, with regard to the Health Service, the Directorate Inter-discipline authorise absence, which is programmable not predictable, the medical and paramedical staff. The Directorates are headed by Directors General of Public Security; the Interregional Directorate of Rome is headed by a Prefect, 1st Class, drawn from the police ranks. The fact that the Interregional Directorate reports only and directly to the Chief of Police determines that it can be used (and sometimes it is actually used) to bypass both central Divisions and provincial Prefects; this allows a strengthening of the Quaestor's technical say, against the local Prefect's opinion, which may not be so technically qualified. The Directorate also functions as collector from logistics and support services Divisions, in order to provide an unified management.
Each Directorate is subdivided into eight Divisions, including the most important one, i.e. the General Affairs Division and the Personnel Division:

  • General Affairs Division: it deals with general support activities. The Division includes the Secretariat, the Inspection and Audit Office (one of the most important office within the Directorates) and the Legal Office.
  • Personnel Division: the Personnel Division deals with personnel transfers and includes the Recurring Temporary Needs Office, the Emergency Needs Office and the offices designed to assess the proposed environmental incompatibility (the Personnel Assessment Office) and to provide and alternative see (Transfers Office).
  • Health Service Division
  • TLC Division
  • Motorisation and Logistics Division
  • Facilities Division
  • Planning and Organisation Division
  • Internal Affairs Division: the Internal Affairs Division deals with disciplinary and order enforcement matters within civilian personnel of the Directorate General; therefore, as it is should be emphasised, this organisation falls completely outside the military police duties and tasks of both the National Royal Guard and the Royal Carabinieri, although both officials (A-Group personnel) and executive clerks (C-group personnel) are subject to special regulations which mirror the Army provisions. The Internal Affairs Division is aimed to provide discipline, integrity and order enforcement within civilian workers and it is framed within the general framework of the Public Administration: the political surveillance is carried out by the apposite Party delegations and organisations. However, due the peculiar context, it carries out detective work with the civilian officials and military officers and troops assigned. The Division is organised into four offices: a Secretariat, two operational offices (Police Ethics and Integrity Office and Police Misconduct Office) and the PNF Delegation (including at least a GNR officer assigned to military police duties), with limited executive powers but with a major consultative role. The PNF delegation is composed of members appointed by the central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, which must choose members from the regional Commissions.

Current Interregional Directorates of Public Security are:

  • 1st Interregional Directorate of P.S.: HQs in Milan and in charge for Lombardy, Piedmont and Savoy, Liguria and Aosta Valley;
  • 2nd Interregional Directorate of P.S.: HQs in Rome and in charge for Tuscany, Lazio, Marche, Umbria and Sardinia;
  • 3rd Interregional Directorate of P.S.: HQs in Naples and in charge for Campania, Basilicata, Apulia, Molise and Abruzzo;
  • 4th Interregional Directorate of P.S.: HQs Messina and in charge for Calabria and Sicily;
  • 5th Interregional Directorate of P.S.: HQs in Padua and in charge for Trentino-Alto Adige, Emilia and Romagna, Veneto, Friuli and Venezia Giulia.

In order to ensure a direct and costant surveillance of the territory, alongside the Interregional Directorates of Public Security, there are 5 Carabinieri and C.P.R. Interregional Commands having the same boundaries of the Interregional Directorates of Public Secrurity: these Commands are tasked with personnel general management with the same responsibilities of the Interregional Directorates, as well as training co-ordination of the Legions and administrative support. In case of war, they report to their relevant Army Corps. Each Carabinieri Interregional Command is considered a Division command and it is led by a Major General. Current Carabinieri Divisions are:

  • 1st Division "Pastrengo" (established in 1936): HQs in Milan and in charge for Lombardy, Piedmont and Savoy, Liguria and Aosta Valley;
  • 2nd Division "Podgora" (established in 1936): HQs in Rome and in charge for Tuscany, Lazio, Marche, Umbria, Corsica and Sardinia;
  • 3rd Division "Ogaden" (established in 1939): HQs in Naples and in charge for Campania, Basilicata, Apulia, Molise and Abruzzo;
  • 4th Division "Carabinieri dello Stretto" (established in 1991): HQs Messina and in charge for Calabria and Sicily; the 4th C.P.R. Division was established by splitting the 3rd Division.
  • 5th Division "Vittorio Veneto" (established in 1991): HQs in Padua and in charge for Trentino-Alto Adige, Emilia and Romagna, Veneto, Friuli and Venezia Giulia; the 5th Division was established by splitting the 1st Division.

Current C.P.R. Divisions are:

  • 1st Division "Pastrengo" (established in 1936): HQs in Milan and in charge for Lombardy, Piedmont and Savoy, Liguria and Aosta Valley;
  • 2nd Division "Podgora" (established in 1936): HQs in Rome and in charge for Tuscany, Lazio, Marche, Umbria, Corsica and Sardinia;
  • 3rd Division "Ogaden" (established in 1939): HQs in Naples and in charge for Campania, Basilicata, Apulia, Molise and Abruzzo;
  • 4th Division "Polizia dello Stretto" (established in 1991): HQs Messina and in charge for Calabria and Sicily; the 4th C.P.R. Division was established by splitting the 3rd Division.
  • 5th Division "Vittorio Veneto" (established in 1991): HQs in Padua and in charge for Trentino-Alto Adige, Emilia and Romagna, Veneto, Friuli and Venezia Giulia; the 5th C.P.R. Division was established by splitting the 1st Division.

Such Interregional Commands are led by Major Generals. The Interregional Commands are framed within 5 Interregional Inspectorates, direct emanations of the General-Inspector of the Militarised Police Corps; the Interregional Inspectorates coordinate the Carabinieri Interregional Command and the counterpart C.P.R. Interregional Command and are ledy by officers belonging to Carabinieri or to C.P.R. on a rotationary base; whoever is the commander, he is assisted by the relevant Carabinieri Interregional Commander and C.P.R. Interregional Commander, as well as by a Chief of Staff (of the opposite corps of the Interregional Inspector). Therefore in any case there are four generals in each Interregional Inspectorate, two from the Carabinieri and two from the C.P.R.

Regional Office of Public Security

Flag of the Area Inspectorate "Veneto" of the Royal Police Corps. Each C.P.R. and CC.RR. command has an its own flag, bearing some uniform themes (Crimson and Black for police units) and a symbol of the assigned boundary.

The Regional Offices of Public Security (Uffici Regionali di Pubblica Sicurezza, U.R.P.S.) are 21 multi-provincial police offices in charge of coordinating public security information-gathering work within their boundaries, which coincide with the boundaries of the Courts of Appeal and Assize, and with those of the special (anti-terrorism and anti-mafia) prosecution pools. The Regional Office of Public Security is an intermediate body between the Directorate General of Public Security and the Questure, grouping several provinces under the same command and direction. They have responsibilities especially on issues related to public order.
Each and every public security organisation set up in municipalities (Commissariats of P.S.) and provinces (Questure) is under the coordination management of the local Prefect and the public security organs at the higher level; therefore, Commissariats are dependent on the Questura and Questure are dependent on - for coordination and information management purposes only - the Regional Offices of P.S., which in turn are overseen by the Interregional Directorates and the Chief of Police. The 21 Regional Offices are directed by a Director General of P.S. in charge of Peripheral Office and, for information purposes, are in direct touch with the Chief of Police - Director General of Public Security. All the Regional Offices of P.S. (and their C.P.R. and CC.RR. counterparts) are based in the Regional capital cities or towns, with the exception of the Veneto Regional Office of Public Security, which is based in Padua, alongside the North-eastern Interregional Directorate of Public Security.
The Regional Office of P.S. is mainly dedicated to the data and information collection management, and its administrative structure reflects the tasks entrusted to the regional level of the Administration with four information management-related Divisions:

  • General Affairs Division;
    • Supervision Office;
    • Audit Office;
    • Publicity and Public Relations Office;
    • Personnel Office;
  • Regional Counter Terrorism Division;
  • Regional Domestic Security Division;
  • Regional Criminal data management Division;
  • Regional Administrative and Social Police Division.

Alongside the Regional offices, there are also the Area Inspectorates of the Royal Police Corps, which coincide with Legions of the Carabinieri. Militarised police forces are framed within the regional commands, direct emanations of the General-Inspector of the Militarised Police Corps, led by a Brigadier General belonging to Carabinieri or to C.P.R. on a rotationary base. Whoever is the commander, he is assisted by the relevant Carabinieri Legion Commander and C.P.R. Area Inspector, as well as by a Chief of Staff (of the opposite corps of the regional commander).
Each Division of the Regional Office of Public Security is directed by a senior Official of Public Security, ranking Police Inspector or Inspector General: this makes the Division of the Regional Office equal to a Section of the central organisation.

Regional Counter Terrorism Division

The Regional Counter Terrorism Division brings together intelligence, operations and investigation functions to help prevent, disrupt and prosecute terrorist activities. The Divisions are framed within the Regional Offices of Public Security and are composed of detectives, financial and cyber investigators, community contact teams, intelligence analysts, and forensic specialists. Each Regional Counter Terrorism Division is coordinated by the Political Office of the seat of the relevant Regional Office, which provides coordination and support for Political Offices of its respective region. Provincial Political Offices assist in protecting national security and are managed and tasked by the Regional Counter Terrorism Division for affairs pertaining terrorism. The Division, while working in close cooperation with the Regional Domestic Security Division and although it is not tasked with operational and judicial police functions, is directly linked to both the Political Police Division and the Confidential Affairs Division at the central level. The Division is subdivided into four Offices:

  • Points of entry Office;
  • Analysis Office
  • Coordination Office;
  • Economic Crime Information Office: it is to note that the Economic Crime Information Office of each Division is fully integrated with the other Economic Crime Information Office and with the Regional Regional commands of the Royal Guard of Finance.

Regional Domestic Security Division

The Domestic Security Division deals with information analysis related to homeland security matters without links to terorrism. The Division, while working in close cooperation with the Regional Counter Terrorism Division and although it is not tasked with operational and judicial police functions, is directly linked to both the Political Police Division and the Confidential Affairs Division at the central level. The Regional Domestic Security Division is mainly staffed by Political offices' delegates and has liaison officers from the Royal Guard of Finance and it is subdivided into two Offices.

  • Economic Crime Information Office: it is to note that the Economic Crime Information Office of each Division is fully integrated with the other Economic Crime Information Office and with the Regional Regional commands of the Royal Guard of Finance;
  • Public Order Information Office.

Regional Criminal data management Division

The Regional Criminal Division is charged with regional coordination tasks of the Mobile Squads against organised crime. The Regional Division is also responsible for the fight against organized and specialized crime and delinquency, the implementation and control of technical and scientific police and judicial identity means, computer tools and operational documentation to assist investigations, and this, throughout the territory under its jurisdiction. The Division is subdivided into four Offices:

  • Banditry Office
  • Narcotics control Office;
  • Criminal Police Centre: the Criminal Police Centres are the peripheral subdivisions of the Central Operational Section and have information and investigative tasks against organised crime;
  • Smuggling Investigation Office: it is mainly composed of liaison personnel of the Royal Guard of Finance.

Regional Administrative and Social Police Division

The Regional Administrative and Social Police Division keeps relations with the Administrative Region and its Regional Commissioner in order to better coordinate the activities carried out by the Administrative and Social Police Divisions of the local Questure in relation to the matters whose administrative part is entrusted to the Administrative Region to those of the relevant Local Police.

Provincial administration of P.S.

Under the Ministry of the Interior it is also located the peripheral structure of the Administration of Public Security, whose mainframe is the provincial boundary. At the provincial level the figure of the Prefect is characterised by a dual role: he is responsible for the implementation of the ministerial directives and the direction of the police, and is also responsible for provincial order and public security.
In particular, the Prefect is not part of the chain of command which the Quaestor belongs to; however, the Quaestor operates under the Prefect. In addition, the Prefect is hierarchically subordinate to the Minister of Interior. The Prefect prepares plans for control of the territory, which the Quaestor must implement.
The Podestà, however, in his capacity as Local Authority of Public Security, is framed in a position of functional subordination to both the Prefect and Quaestor; he can be called to work in the fields of competence for the best performance of the function of public security.
There are also some police offices which are not under the Quaestor's command as Police official, but are under his direction in his capacity as head of the Public Security service in the province: these offices are, usually, Services detachments; finally, Celere units are not under Quaestor's command nor direction and neither under local Group Commander's jurisdiction, having their own chain of command. The Prefect, however, can use all of Local Police, Police, MVSN, GNR units, offices and services in the Province, if he deems that the situation requires so.

Provincial Commission for the Public Order and Security

The Provincial Commission for the Public Order and Security is a consultative commission established at each Prefecture; it consists of the Prefect, the Quaestor, the Federal Secretary of the National Fascist Party, of the Commander of the local Provincial Group of the Royal Police Corps, of the Commander of the local Carabinieri Group, and of the Commander of the local Provincial Legion.

Territorial Commission for Security

The Territorial Commission for Security's task is to conduct periodic the territory of the state of security analysis and to take joint action to improve the safety conditions of every citizen and every public place. The Commission is established in every municipality with a population exceeding 20,000 inhabitants, chaired by the Prefect of the province or his delegate, and consists of the local Podestà, of the local Political Secretary, the provincial Commander of the GRdF or his delegate, the Quaestor the province or his delegate (usually a Carabinieri officer) and of the commander of the municipal police.

Questura

The performance of police services is provided by provincial and local offices. In the capital city of the province, it functions, dependent on the Prefect, a Public Security bureau headed by a Quaestor (It: "Questore") and named "Questura". In other smaller centres are established detached Offices of Public Security, headed by a Public Security official reporting to the Prefect and the Quaestor. The most populous cities are divided into districts or sections, each with a specific Office of Public Security subject to the Questura. It is to be noted that "Quaestor" is both a rank and an office: not all Quaestors are in service at provincial Questure, but all Questure are headed by a Quaestor, of 1st or 2nd Class according the importance of the location; in all cases the provincial Quaestors organise frequent meetings during which the commanders of the provincial Questura and the commanders of the special units which are deployed in the province and are not outside his command analyse the investigative findings and plan joint operational activities.
In municipalities where an office of public security is not established the Podestà exercises the functions of an officer of public security under the direction and dependence of the Prefect and the Quaestor.
There are Identification Cabinets at Questure headquarters which, together with the central identification services, facilitate the service identification of the culprits.
The offices of the Questura are divided into four divisions: the first (cabinet) waits to services more directly aimed at the maintenance of order, the second (police) provides for the discovery of the crime and is maintained for such purposes, in direct contact with the judicial authorities and the third (administrative police) exercises functions of a preventive nature, while the territorial control activity is performed by the fourth Division.

Commissariat of Public Security

The Commissariat of Public Security is a structure of the administration of public security, framed in the territorial organisation of the Questura. The Commissariat of P.S. is an operational detachment of the Questura: inside the Commissariat are present, albeit smaller and tailored to the operational needs of the covered area, the same offices and services available to the Questura. There are two types of Commissariats: Sectional Commissariats, which are city police posts and cover provincial capital Sections of Public Security, and Detached Commissariats, which act as outposts in the Province. The operation jurisdiction of the latter ones is extended on their District, while the civilian police official in charge of the Commissariat is a Local Authority of Public Security only for the municipality which the Detached Commissariat is located in.
The Commissariat is directed by an Official of Public Security with the rank of Commissioner or Chief Commissioner, or in the case of the largest and most important ones, of the rank of Vicequestore. Within the Commissariat, like the Questura, they are typically present facilities at which the citizen can carry out different practices of administrative police (issuance or renewal of passport, firearms license, administrative licensing, residence permit, etc..). There is also an "Anti-Crime Team", in which is possible to file a complaint, issue lawsuit, filing a complaint or a grievance against government's actions (other than the complaint against a specific administration), and generally make the most of the possible actions of a legal nature.
Alongside the civilian P.S. official in charge for running the Commissariat's activities, the military commander is in charge of agents, subofficers and junior officers assigned to the Commissariat.

Detached Commissariat

In Detached Commissariats, which are head-quartered in minor provincial centres and have a police jurisdiction area consisting of rural zones and small centres, the military detachment usually is a Carabinieri Company, commanded by a Carabinieri Captain. He commands not only Carabinieri assigned to the individual relevant Commissariat, but also troops assigned to the various Territorial Police Stations and Lieutenancy in the territory assigned to the Commissariat/Company. Detached Commissariats are divided into two dimensional categories:

  • Category A: includes Commissariats that are located in areas that require special attention or that oversee large portions of the Province. These Commissariats have a minimum number of 70 operators, whose direction is entrusted to a Deputy Quaestor
  • Category B: includes the Commissariats that supervise smaller areas of the Province or those that manage quieter areas. These Commissariats have a staff of at least 50 Carabinieri, and are headed by a Chief Commissioner.

Each Commissariat may be augmented by the Director-General of Public Security if the need arises.

Sectional Commissariat

In provincial capital cities, on the other hand, the C.P.R. Subgroup is in charge only for the city itself and its immediate surroundings, and the Subgroup Command in charge for all agents assigned to the municipality is head-quartered in the Questura or, more often, in the main barracks of the Corps in the province. In some cities, Sectional (Urban) Commissariat retain specific names of historical significance but with the same functions and tasks. Sectional Commissariats are divided into two dimensional categories:

  • Category A: includes Commissariats that are located in areas that require special attention or that oversee large portions of the city. These Commissariats have a minimum number of 50 operators, whose direction is entrusted to a Chief Commissioner.
  • Category B: includes the Commissariats that supervise smaller areas of the urban settlement or those that manage quieter areas. These Commissariats have a staff of at least 30 policemen, and are headed by a Commissioner.

Each Commissariat may be augmented by the Director-General of Public Security if the need arises.

Territorial Police Station

The Territorial Police Station (Italian: Stazione Territoriale di Polizia) is the lowest operational unit of the Public Security apparatus, articulated on the organic forces ranging from a minimum of 4 to over 20 units; it is the direct and most visible legacy of the Royal Carabinieri Stations, and in most cases they are still operated by the Carabinieri. Stations are staffed only with military agents and subofficers, commanded by a Subofficer of the minimum rank of Marshal. The station is responsible in a very specific area: large portions of the civilian infrastructure or city, or one or more municipalities. The Station Commander is responsible for direct control of land and related institutional activities. The national soil is so carefully covered by the dense network of stations of the Royal Police Corps and Royal Carabinieri, which are also the custodians of the first task of protecting public order and safety within the area they encompass, as well as the first line of military police and counter-espionage activities. The Station Commander (It: Comandante di Stazione) has several duties: he has the immediate direction of institutional service within his jurisdiction, where carries out the investigation, both proactive and delegated by the Prosecutor, as Public Security officer he intervenes in public and private disputes and exercises all initiatives in order to take appropriate preventive measures against socially dangerous people and, from a strictly managerial point of view, he is responsible for technical and operational using, for discipline and staff training, as well as for the properties, vehicle, computer and electronic equipment and furnishings. Stations are divided into three distinct sections:

  • 1st category: the stations are placed with an operational focus and a less open to the public 8 hours per day.
  • 2nd category: the stations are located which have a greater operational focus and are prepared to receive the public 14 hours a day distributed in 2 shifts from 8.00 to 22.00.
  • 3rd category: the stations are those of crucial importance and cover the entire 24 hours through the system of shifts.

Regardless the category, each station is permanently manned. The most experienced non-commissioned officers are assigned to the command of the 3rd category stations, while the criterion of seniority determines the positions of command in the 2nd and 1st category. The station is the central element of territorial control and they are located in buildings specially constructed or upgraded in order to promote an effective defence. The premises of the station include a security prison, a chamber of discipline, a kitchen and a dining hall, housing the commander, one double every two agents, and, if married, one for each room and a garage. The stations, according to their own staff and to operational needs, can organise territorial mobile patrols, although it is not strictly required to do so.
The Station reports to the relevant Company/Subgroup commander for military, personnel and disciplinary matters, as well as for military police duties, and to the head of the Commissariat for all other operational and functional police activities. Territorial Police Stations are usually responsible for more than one municipality, but the Carabinieri Marshal who is the Station Commander is the Local Authority of Public Security only in the municipality where the Station is located in and only if in that municipality there is not a Questura or a Detached Commissariat of Public Security.

See also