Crime, 30% of crimes in large centres: the geography of security

Behind Rome's leap (+11% year-on-year, +16.7% compared to 2019), on the other hand, growing predatory crime and phenomena related to urban decay (see interview on the right) play a role: this year, the capital ranks second in terms of the number of thefts (with 3.465 complaints per 100,000 inhabitants), up 17% year-on-year; in 2023, public street robberies increased by 24% compared to 2022; for crimes related to drug trafficking and dealing, the Capital closely follows La Spezia's supremacy. The numbers should be put into perspective, however, by looking at the historical trend of complaints in the capital: the recovery of crime after the 'pandemic break' is returning to the levels of 2017-2018, but is still far from the volumes of complaints of the previous decade.

The increase in robberies, in particular, weighs on many large cities. The tourist city of Florence has become the black jersey for robbery complaints (136 per thousand inhabitants): those in public streets - 1,034 episodes in 2023 - have risen by 56% in the last year alone. "There is a real problem, not just one of perception, linked to problems of petty crime, partly connected with the increase in the use of certain drugs such as crack cocaine. We are tackling it all very carefully, in synergy with the prefecture and the health authority,' says the new mayor of Florence Sara Furnaro. Who adds: 'The issue of security is a priority, but it must be tackled with the city: we need to invest in social and health policies, not just in garrisons'.

Among the provinces with the highest incidence of complaints filed in the capital city compared to the non-urban area are Trieste (87%), Prato (83%), Genoa (81%) and Rome (80%). In Milan and Rimini, the capital is responsible for 63% and 60% respectively, while, for example, in Naples, complaints in the city account for just over 43% of the total: about half the capital's 'weight' on the metropolitan area of Rome. "In the case of the city of Naples, most of the criminal events are of criminal origin, they originate in environments organic to the organised underworld," comments Gaetano Manfredi, mayor of Naples. The most violent crimes are due to the excessively easy circulation of weapons, and on this front, more needs to be done in terms of preventive controls. I have asked and obtained from the government greater coordination between the police forces in the area, with the deployment of additional human resources for this purpose. The first results, especially in some areas, are being achieved'. There remains, however, a low propensity to report 'small abuses, from valet parking to incorrect waste disposal. This has to do with civic education, and we are working hard on this by involving associations, committees, and free enterprise: crime decreases when citizens take possession of public spaces in the right way, without prevarication but with participation,' Manfredi concludes.

In Imperia, the incidence of complaints in the capital city is as low as 20 per cent. On average, the capitals of the 14 metropolitan cities weigh more (62%) than the other smaller provinces (33%).