Rome Establishes Order
The Italian government has approved "pacchetto sicurezza," a new package of laws aimed at ensuring public order in the broadest sense. While not a new concept, Italy regularly updates pacchetto sicurezza, either strengthening law enforcement and judicial powers or developing civil liberties. However, this year's pacchetto sicurezza was drafted against the backdrop of significant internal crises related to illegal migration, rising crime, and domestic violence. The primary goals this year were declared as combating property seizures and road blockades. Both issues are hot topics not only in Italy but also periodically spark crises in Spain, Poland, Germany, and Slovakia. The challenges and lessons Italy presents are compelling. Now, it awaits parliamentary support.
During the question and answer session in the Italian parliament, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that "security issues are also a major economic concern." She highlighted addressing street crime, crucial for Italy's tourism industry. Among her remarks were references to combating illegal property seizures and tackling organized crime, including the Camorra and 'Ndrangheta.
What the New Security Entails
In legal terms, pacchetto sicurezza involves changes to regulatory acts on security measures to "counter phenomena of widespread illegality associated with illegal immigration and organized crime." The updated version includes a range of measures aimed at enhancing Italy's ability to maintain public order and national security.
Primarily focused on internal security, these measures can both ensure the implementation of these good intentions and provoke dissatisfaction, especially from those striving for power attempting to "destabilize the situation."
The key points of the security package approved by the Italian Council of Ministers ensure greater protection for law enforcement agencies in cases of violence. They strengthen penalties for violence, threats, or resistance to police or public safety workers.
Moreover, pacchetto sicurezza permits public safety officers, already authorized to carry service firearms, to possess private firearms without an additional license. According to the government's idea, this provision allows officers to have lighter weapons on duty instead of the standard ones.
The new pacchetto sicurezza pays special attention to the functioning of penitentiary institutions and, more broadly, the theme of punishment for offenses.
Specifically, the legislative framework introduces a new type of offense: organizing and participating in prison riots accompanied by acts of violence and dangerous behavior. Organizers of uprisings face 2 to 8 years, participants 1 to 5 years, and in cases involving weapons, up to 10 years. Legislators have also defined individuals outside prison who, through various means, including correspondence, incite revolts.
Another area addressed by pacchetto sicurezza at the household level can be termed "have a conscience." It concerns offenses related to the seizure of another person's property. For such offenses, imprisonment is envisaged for a term of 2 to 7 years. How this norm will work and whether it will apply to "domestic disputes," especially in cases where property owners struggle for years to evict guests or non-paying tenants, is not entirely clear.
Italians say that currently, if such guests have minors, evicting them is impossible. Therefore, they are very reluctant to rent out property. How the new law will interpret "property seizure" remains somewhat unclear. Still, during Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's speech in parliament, she called this issue a significant obstacle to economic recovery. "And it is also an economic measure because, obviously, if we could return all this property to the owners, there would be more available spaces in the market, and this would likely contribute to the normalization of prices, which, as we know, is a significant problem," said the prime minister.
Additionally, the new pacchetto sicurezza introduces penalties for roadblocks and fines for all participants and organizers of such actions. The most recent and extensive case of such violations in the EU is the massive blockade of crossings on the Ukrainian border by Polish and Slovak hauliers. It has become a serious issue in interstate relations and objectively hampers the delivery of military aid to Ukraine.
Photo: The promotion of pacchetto sicurezza is happening against the backdrop of a colossal court process related to the maxi-mafia case in Lamezia Terme on November 20, 2023. The courtroom monitor displays about 200 defendants hearing the verdict in the so-called Rinashita Scott trial against alleged members of the 'Ndrangheta mafia in the Calabria province. Source: Getty Images.
Protection for the Vulnerable
Pacchetto sicurezza also enhances penalties for fraud committed against the elderly and the most vulnerable sections of the population. Imprisonment for such crimes will increase from 2 to 6 years.
Another significant aspect of pacchetto sicurezza that sparked heated political discussions is the updated strategy to combat pickpockets and begging involving minors. Specifically, the court can restrict access to the underground, railway stations, and ports for those previously convicted or accused of theft or robbery.
Furthermore, responsibility is introduced for those who use violence or threats to force minors under 16 into begging. Legislators anticipate that these innovations will compel parents or guardians to send children to school.
Children's and women's issues are crucial for Italians, so if the package were introduced at a different time, it might not have found support. Particularly noteworthy is the regulation of the presence of pregnant women and children in penitentiary institutions. Still, the Meloni government took this unpopular step because the problem of using children and pregnancy for committing offenses has become too noticeable lately.
The practice of using socially vulnerable women, mainly refugees, to commit offenses and theft, especially by pickpockets working in the metro, has become widespread. Another new tool aimed at stopping the use of children for unlawful activities is the option to defer the execution of sentences for pregnant women or mothers of children up to three years, especially if the mother is a repeat offender.
A pregnant woman or a woman with young children can still be convicted and will serve her sentence in special facilities for imprisoned mothers (ICAM), where children can stay with their mothers. However, this is not parole or conditional imprisonment. Currently, four such facilities operate in Italy: in Milan, Turin, Venice, and Lauro in Campania. Another one in Cagliari is practically not used. The total capacity of ICAMs is approximately fifty places.
It's clear that this is insufficient for the complete rehabilitation and social reintegration of offenders. Those involved in pickpocketing will continue to do so. However, this innovation, along with other norms of pacchetto sicurezza, demonstrates the government's tough stance on street crime.
Photo: Flowers lie at the base of a banner with a photograph of Giulia Cecchettin near the town hall of Vigonovo before the memorial march on November 26, 2023, in Venice, Italy. On the night of November 11 to 12, 2023, 22-year-old Italian Giulia Cecchettin was murdered by Filippo Turetta, her ex-partner. Giulia is the 102nd victim of femicide in Italy in 2023. Source: Getty Images.
Empowering Law Enforcement
Simultaneously, pacchetto sicurezza introduces certain tools to strengthen law enforcement. The Meloni government, seeking the support of law enforcement, has envisaged a moderate 5.8% salary increase for them.
Supporting the innovations, Meloni stated, "Without security, there is no freedom, no social protection, no economic growth." In any case, pacchetto sicurezza provides Italians and the opposition grounds to criticize the government and the prime minister. One of the leaders of the opposition Democratic Party, Francesco Boccia, called the package "mere propaganda," useful for covering the government's inability to respond to the extraordinary economic situations of families, citizens, workers, and our businesses at the cost of life.
How is Italy reacting overall? The average Italians are currently less concerned with the topic of the new pacchetto sicurezza than stories of domestic violence and the murder of women. Currently, public attention is focused on the murder of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta. Whether these two issues may be connected is not currently being discussed by Italians. Pacchetto sicurezza looks like mere political games for ordinary citizens, especially from right-leaning politicians.
However, looking at the processes from the outside, it becomes evident that the government is trying to counter new challenges related to wars and general tension in the European region. However, Italians themselves are not yet ready for resistance and changes in legislation, including marital and property rights regulation. Although, according to many lawyers, a significant amount of domestic violence, women's murders, and property seizures are caused in Italy by the fact that "it's easier to kill a wife than to get a divorce," and to protect property rights in Italy, one must be prepared for long and often futile legal disputes.