Vannacci is a speaker at a police union seminar, sparking controversy. The clarification: “It will not count as professional development”

General Roberto Vannacci will also be in Turin for a conference on urban security organised for 18 September at the NH Torino Centro Hotel, entitled ‘Urban insecurity: the role of institutions and business leaders’. His presence is bound to spark controversy, as the event – promoted by the FSP State Police trade union in collaboration with FMPI – is, according to the Silp Cgil Piemonte police trade union, recognised as a professional development activity.

According to Nicola Rossiello, the Piedmontese general secretary of Silp Cgil, Vannacci’s presence would undermine ‘the conditions required by law for the recognition of in-service training: the technical and scientific nature of the initiative and its strict neutrality with regard to any political connotations’. Silp Cgil has set its sights on the regulatory and constitutional parameters that have been disregarded: from Article 98 of the Constitution — which requires the police force to serve the nation exclusively and to observe a strict duty of impartiality — to Article 14 of the Code of Conduct for Public Servants and the directives of the Department of Public Security, which make the award of professional training credits conditional upon the total absence of political or party-political bias. Hence the formal request to the Turin Police Commissioner, Massimo Gambino (who authorised the initiative and was due to deliver a welcome address), to revoke the decision recognising the conference as a professional development activity.

However, this was followed by a statement from the Department of Public Security, which clarified that the conference is ‘a trade union initiative, at which the Turin Chief of Police is not expected to attend, nor will the conference constitute professional development for members of the State Police’.

Meanwhile, however, the political controversy has quickly blown up at national level. Among the first to speak out was Anna Rossomando, vice-president of the PD in the Senate. ‘We need to get to the bottom of this. As this is clearly a political initiative, I believe a clarification is in order; for this reason, I am preparing a parliamentary question for Minister Piantedosi to understand how and why an event of this kind was classified as professional development, complete with exemption from duty.’