Security: summit with Meloni on public order. New anti-violence measures under discussion

The clashes in Milan, the looting and destruction, and the demonstrations already organised in Italy’s major cities for 24 and 30 October. To take stock of the origins of the protests and identify new measures for prevention and suppression, Giorgia Meloni convened a meeting at 1 pm today at Palazzo Chigi with Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini (via video link) and Antonio Tajani, the ministers Matteo Piantedosi (Interior), Guido Crosetto (Defence) and Francesco Lollobrigida (Agriculture), the Under-Secretaries to the Prime Minister’s Office Alfredo Mantovano and Giovanbattista Fazzolari, senior officials from the Police, the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza, and intelligence chiefs. The summit lasted over an hour and a half and was entirely devoted to the management of public order.

The echoes from the streets of France and Spain – just as Italia braces itself for the general election in the coming months – are also being felt in Rome. Edi Rama’s Albania is also in turmoil, under pressure from the high cost of living and allegations of corruption. The most significant similarity lies in the difficulty of identifying a ‘structure’, an organisation or a political mastermind behind the protests, which complicates the traditional task of maintaining public order.

The Government has been struck by the average age of the more than 200 young people detained following the riots in Milan: 80 per cent are under 18. For this reason, consideration is being given to introducing deferred arrest in flagrante delicto for under-18s and extending pre-trial detention to those who have not yet reached the age of majority. Meloni herself reiterated on Sunday that she is considering ‘further measures against those who exploit legitimate demonstrations to sow violence and chaos’. However, the response provided by the police is also under scrutiny; despite the avalanche of security decrees approved by the Government, it still appears to be riddled with flaws.

This is another reason why there is a shared intention to send out new, concrete signals through the forthcoming Budget Bill, which the Prime Minister will discuss this evening at another summit, this time with her allies and the Minister for the Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti: to increase resources and funding for the Carabinieri, the Police and the Gdf, by allocating part of the 7.2 billion in additional deficit authorised by Europe for defence to security. This will involve recruitment, equipment and measures to ensure fairness in the pension system. A helping hand is being extended to that section of the public to whom the Government has always given its full support.

Following the summit, the task of drafting regulatory proposals and identifying the most suitable vehicles was referred to a series of subsequent technical meetings. It would appear that the conundrum remains unresolved as to whether to proceed with a new decree-law or to press ahead with the draft bill on the automatic attribution of criminal responsibility – unless proven otherwise – to minors aged between 14 and 18, which was approved on 23 July by the Council of Ministers and is currently under consideration by the Senate.