Law enforcement in Italy is centralized on a national level, with multiple national forces, assisted by some local law enforcement agencies. The two main police forces are the Carabinieri, the national gendarmerie, and the Polizia di Stato, the civil national police. The Guardia di Finanza is a militarized police force responsible for dealing with financial crime, smuggling, customs, maritime patrolling and illegal drug trade. Border patrolling are undertaken by the Polizia di Frontiera, a division of the Polizia di Stato. The Guardia Costiera (coast guard) is part of Marina Militare (Italian Navy) and is Italy's coast guard responsible for maritime patrolling along with the Guardia di Finanza. The Polizia Penitenziaria (Prison Police) is the national prison police agency, controlling penitentiaries and inmate transfers. The Corpo Forestale dello Stato (State Forestry Corps) formerly existed as a separate national park ranger agency, but was merged into the Carabinieri in 2016. Alongside national police forces,Polizia Locale are also concerned with policing at a local level.
Summary The Italian law enforcement system is complex, with multiple police forces and agencies handling various duties. "Full-powered officers" primarily come from the national forces, carrying out investigation and arrest duties. Local forces have more limited roles.
+ForceEnglish translationTypeResponsibilityPolizia di StatoState PoliceCivilian policePatrolling, investigative, immigration control, administrative and law enforcement dutiesCarabinieriCarabinersGendarmerie; militarized police constituting the fourth branch of the Italian armed forces.Patrolling, investigative, and law enforcement duties outside the larger urban areas. Also military police for the Italian Armed Forces. Guardia di FinanzaFinancial GuardMilitarized policeDealing with financial crime, smuggling, illegal drug trade, patrolling Italy's territorial waters, maintaining public security, and other duties.Polizia PenitenziariaPrison PolicePrison officerControlling penitentiaries and inmate transfersGuardia CostieraCoast GuardCoast guard; militarized police belonging to the Italian Navy.Undertaking maritime patrolling dutiesPolizia LocaleLocal PoliceCivilian policePatrolling, investigative, administrative and traffic police The main forces are managed at the provincial level under the authority of the Questore (the local head of police) in accordance with the Prefetto, the provincial representative of the Government.
Law enforcement is an exclusive function of the State, organized under the Ministry of the Interior, with provincial division and jurisdiction.
The highest office in charge of law enforcement is the ministerial office of "Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza".
In 2005, Italy had 324,339 active police officers, the highest number in the European Union both overall and per capita, twice the number of agents in the similarly sized United Kingdom. In 2020 this was 237,910, behind only France and Germany in the EU.
National police forces
Polizia di Stato
The Polizia di Stato (State Police) is the civil national police of Italy. It patrols the Autostrade (Italy's Express Motorways network) and oversees the security of railways, bridges, and waterways, in addition to patrolling, investigative, and law enforcement duties.
It is a civilian police force, distinct from the military Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza. Its internal organization and mindset are somewhat military, but its personnel are civilians. Its headquarters are in Rome, with regional and provincial divisions.
It is also the only authority that can issue special licenses and passports.
Unlike the Carabinieri, the Polizia di Stato is the guardian of public order, as the Questore is the public safety authority and heads all law enforcement agencies on the territory (province), including the Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza and the Polizia Penitenziaria.
Guardia di Finanza
The Guardia di Finanza (Financial Guard) is a military corps under the authority of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, with a role as a police force.
The Corps is responsible for financial, economic, judiciary, and public safety matters. This includes tax evasion, financial crimes, smuggling, money laundering, international illegal drug trafficking, illegal immigration, customs and border checks, copyright violations, anti-Mafia operations, credit card fraud, cybercrime, counterfeiting, terrorist financing, maintaining public order, and safety, political and military defense of the Italian borders.
The Guardia di Finanza has around 68,000 soldiers, including agents, non-commissioned officers, and officers. Its personnel serve in Europol, Eurojust, and the European Anti-Fraud Office. Its Latin motto since 1933 is Nec recisa recedit (). The Guardia di Finanza also maintains boats, ships, and aircraft to patrol Italy's territorial waters.
During demonstrations and large events, the Guardia di Finanza is often called on duty as riot police.
Arma dei Carabinieri
Nicknamed La Benemerita (The Meritorious Corps), Carabinieri is the common name for the Arma dei Carabinieri, a gendarmerie-like military corps with police duties. They also serve as the military police for the Italian armed forces and can be called upon for national defence action. The Carabinieri are a separate armed force (alongside the Army, Navy, and Air Force), ending their long-standing tradition as the First Corps (Arma) of the Italian Army (Esercito).
Carabinieri units have been dispatched worldwide in peacekeeping missions, including Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Military reforms have opened the Arma to women, who were previously barred from all Italian military forces until 2001.
Carabinieri stations are distributed throughout the country, with a station in approximately every municipality, and additional stations in strategic locations along motorways. The Arma is often called on duty as riot police during large events and demonstrations, fulfilling both military and civil police duties. According to Europol, this force has "4,672 stations and lieutenancies".
Polizia Penitenziaria
The Polizia Penitenziaria (Prison Guards, literally Penitentiary Police, also translated as Prison Police Corps) operates the Italian prison system and handles the transportation of inmates. Its agents are sometimes called to assist other police forces during major events. This force (part of the Ministry of Justice) has a "nationwide remit for prison security, inmate safety and transportation".
Interforces
Direzione Investigativa Antimafia
The Direzione Investigativa Antimafia (or DIA) (Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate) is a joint organization of Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri, Polizia Penitenziaria, and Guardia di Finanza combating organized crime in Italy.
Founded in 1991, under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior as the Direzione Nazionale Antimafia (National Anti-Mafia Directorate), its operations include preemptive investigations, judicial investigations, and international relations. It investigates the characteristics, objectives, and methods of the Mafia, as well as their domestic and international contacts.
The DIA was created to prevent mafiosi from infiltrating the government.Jamieson, Alison. The Antimafia. Great Britain: Antony Rowe Ltd., 2000. Print
SCIP Interpol's National Central Bureau for Italy is part of the International Police Cooperation Service (SCIP), a branch of the Public Security Department (PSD). SCIP is a multi-agency unit headed on a rotational basis by the Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza. Officers representing all police forces staff it.
Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga
The Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga (Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services) is a joint organization of Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri, and Guardia di Finanza combating drug trafficking. Founded in 1976 as Direzione Anti Droga (Anti-Drug Directorate), it is under the authority of the Criminal police department of the Ministry of the Interior.
Local Police forces
While policing in Italy is predominantly a national responsibility, a significant component is also provided by Polizia Locale (Local Police), encompassing a variety of agencies operating at the provincial, regional, and municipal levels. These forces address local needs and enforce regional and municipal regulations, complementing the work of the national police forces.
Municipal Police
The most widespread form of local policing is the Polizia Locale, also commonly referred to as Polizia Municipale (municipal police); other denominations include Polizia Comunale, Polizia Urbana and Vigili Urbani. Each comune (municipality) in Italy has its own Polizia Locale. Their primary responsibilities include traffic control, enforcing local bylaws and regulations related to commerce, public order, and urban environment, and handling permits and licenses.Elke Devroe & Paul Ponsaers, "European national police systems and metropolitan realities" in Policing European Metropolises: The Politics of Security in City-Regions (eds. Elke Devroe, Adam Edwards & Paul Ponsaers: Routledge, 2017), pp. 32-33. Municipal police also serve as auxiliary public safety forces, contributing to local crime prevention and community policing initiatives within their geographically restricted jurisdiction. Uniforms and equipment of the Polizia Locale can vary considerably across different regions and municipalities.
The origins of Italian municipal policing can be traced back to ancient Rome with the vigili urbani and comes stabili.Daniel Donnelly, Municipal Policing in the European Union: Comparative Perspectives (2013), p. 34. During the medieval period, urban policing concepts further developed in Italian comunes in the 13th and 14th centuries. These early forms of organized urban law enforcement share some functional similarities with modern police forces, despite being established centuries before the formalization of modern policing.Gregory Roberts, Police Power in the Italian Communes, 1228-1326 (Amsterdam University Press, 2019).
Provincial Police (Polizia Provinciale) In addition to municipal forces, some of the 107 Provinces of Italy also maintain a Polizia Provinciale (Provincial Police). These are smaller agencies with a focus on specialized areas of law enforcement within the provincial territory. Their core functions include enforcing regional and national hunting and fishing regulations, wildlife management, and environmental protection. Polizia Provinciale officers also conduct traffic policing, particularly on provincial roads, and contribute to broader security services as directed by provincial authorities.
In autonomous regions Some Autonomous Regions have special local police forces answering to the Regional Government, with jurisdiction covering the entire regional territory or the municipality. Their regulations are similar to other local police, but their activities and authority may differ.
Sardinia Sardinia does not have Corpo Forestale officers. Regional law regarding nature, parks, fire, and forestry is carried out by its own regional Corpo forestale e di vigilanza ambientale, established in 1985.
Due to its agricultural and pastoral society, every Sardinian town has both Polizia Municipale and Corpo Barracellare, a volunteer civilian corps. When needed by the municipality, the Corpo Barracellare deals with animal theft, farm robbery, and other farm damages.
Animal Protection
In some areas, an animal protection force, or Guardie Zoofile, rescues animals in distress and protects animals and wildlife. Agents are trained volunteer private citizens with limited powers regarding animal safety.