From ABC News:
The Italian government has defended its decision to use soldiers to patrol
cities in an effort to curb crime, rejecting criticism that it will "militarise"
the streets.
"There is a strong call from citizens for better control of the
streets, for improved safety," Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa told Sky Italia
television.
"My hope is that particularly in the evening, in the cities, these
troops can ensure greater safety."
The government announced on Friday that up to 2,500 soldiers, some of
whom have served in Afghanistan and Kosovo, would be made available for a trial
period of six months to bolster the police in difficult urban areas.
Silvio Berlusconi's new conservative government won an April election
on a law-and-order ticket, and crime and public safety have stayed on top of the
political agenda since Mr Berlusconi took office.
The government's decision was attacked by the centre-left opposition,
with Roberta Pinotti, defence spokesman for the Democratic party, expressing
"firm opposition to the militarisation of the streets".
Italy's main trade unions said rather than using soldiers the
government should make better use of 25,000 police who are doing desk work, and
the mayor of Turin said the move was "populist demagoguery" that would hurt
tourism and Italy's image abroad.
"I have only seen soldiers on the streets in Bogota, but there the
situation is rather different," Sergio Chiamparino told La Repubblica
daily.
Mr La Russa said he did not understand the criticism but specified that
the use of soldiers would not be permanent, with the initial six-month period
being renewable "just once."
"Very often just seeing a [soldier's] uniform can be sufficient as
prevention. I don't see what the problem is," he said.
When I was in France, back in 2002, I saw soldiers patrolling the airport, armed with machine guns. It was disconcerting.
I think Berlusconi is making a mistake here. A free people do not want the military to be patrolling the streets during a time of peace. If there is a problem, as there is in the suburbs of Paris, then a military patrol would seem necessary.
If Italy is experiencing such problems on an ongoing basis, then there is more to this story then the media is reporting.
Any Italian commenters?
6 comments:
EU wants to 'regulate' bloggers http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/foreign/brunowaterfield/june2008/blogwars2.htm
Why should we keep soldiers inside barracks (and pay them) while they can help cops? Have you ever seen Naples? Have you ever seen some part on northen cities invaded by NORTH AFRICAN ASSOLES? KICK ASS with the army
Anonymous,
Are you from Italy? Like I said, if there is really trouble, then I understand. France ought to be using the military in the Parisian suburbs. The head of police in Paris has already declared the situtation to be a "War".
But, the thing is, I have never heard of any severe problems in Italy.
Are the problems that severe? Do you have any links to news stories?
I am not Italian but had the opportunity to live there for quite a while.
The Caribinieri (Military police?) already patrol the streets of Rome. My understanding is that these chaps also traipse off to points beyond such as Afghanistan.
The Polizei are also apparent but seem to be a little lighter on the hardware. The former carried what looked to be an MP5N while the latter had holstered side arms.
Not sure when they say military whether they mean the MPs or they mean people in body armour and jungle camo
Hmm. Well, I hope they're ok over there in Italy. Thanks.
Hi,I'm Mattia (20),from Brescia,Italy...The situation of some suburbs is dramatic...in Naples because of 'ndrangheta die a lot of people every month...in the northen italy the condition is better,so I don't agree with Berlusconi's decision to put military force also in Milan,in Padova and in Turin...sorry for my English...
Post a Comment