Guarantee the subway safety Italians is the objective of new “PolMetro” initiative. This service provides for the establishment of specialized sections of the State Police, whose main task will be to guarantee greater safety on the roads metro lines of the three main Italian cities: Rome, Milan and Naples. The new sections of the Police will be responsible for guarding platforms and trains, increasing checks and supervision to prevent incidents of crime and offer a safer environment for passengers. The announcement was made yesterday during a meeting at the Interior Ministry, by Minister Piantedosi, in the presence of the mayors, prefects and police commissioners of the three cities involved.
Subways increasingly dangerous
Strengthening security in metropolitan areas has become essential due to the increase in crimes such as assaults, robberies and pickpockets in the subways and on public transport. With the Jubilee of Rome in sight and the increase in tourism in large cities, the creation of PolMetro responds to the growing demand for safety. PolMetro provides for the use of specialized agents for supervise platforms and trains, thus responding to the concerns of citizens and local authorities.
More police also in shopping centers
In 2023, significant resources were allocated to the three main cities: Rome received 3.857 personnel, Milan 1.653 and Naples 1.314. Furthermore, within the scope of the operation “Safe Stations”, 205 soldiers were deployed in Rome, 174 in Milan and 116 in Naples to ensure safety in the stations and surrounding areas, ensuring continuous coverage and timely intervention.
In addition to the creation of the PolMetro, Minister Piantedosi also announced a strengthening presence of the police forces in large shopping centers.
“As Siulp (Italian Unitary Union of Police Workers) we express great satisfaction with the choice to establish the Polmetro. A decision that goes in the direction of ever greater attention to the sacrosanct needs of citizens on the part of Minister Piantedosi. The right of every single traveler to travel safely along the metro lines of our major cities, the Capital above all, is a constitutional guarantee, among others, that we at SIULP have always requested, especially in light of the positive Milanese experience" commented Felice Romano, General Secretary of SIULP, the majority trade union in the Security, Defense and Public Rescue sector.
“In our daily lives, we frequent places and areas, even when passing through, which are now real nodal points, but above all sensitive, precisely due to the high density and attendance by users. I am referring to metropolitan lines and large shopping centers – concludes Romano – places within which, in some cases, free zones have been created, where degradation and malpractice, increasingly violence, reign supreme. Thefts and muggings are the order of the day and having decided to monitor and therefore restore safety and decorum to these areas means giving a real and concrete signal to Italian citizens and to the many tourists who are crowding our big cities in this hot summer, since the foundation lies precisely in safety of a safer and more interesting society for tourists and investors".
The previous one: the Police in Milan Cadorna
The existing Polmetro model was established in Milan in 1987 thanks to the collaboration between ATM and the State Police. Originally located in Piazza Duomo, the Milanese Polmetro was moved in March 2022 to the offices of the Cadorna M1 station. During the'inauguration of the new offices, a protocol was signed to strengthen cooperation.
