Venezia Giulia Police Force was a police corps formed after World War II by the Allied Military Government in Zone A of Venezia Giulia. Operating in the Free Territory of Trieste after 1947, it was active until 1961. From 1945 to 1954 it was directed by Col. Gerald Richardson, a former Scotland Yard officer.
Background
The Yugoslav 4th Army and the Slovenian 9th Corps entered Trieste on May 1, 1945. The 2nd Division (New Zealand) arrived on the next day and forced the surrender of the 2,000 German Army troops holding out in Trieste, who warily had refused to capitulate to partisan troops, fearing they would be executed by them. An uneasy truce developed between New Zealand and Yugoslav troops. On June 12, 1945, the Yugoslav forces were driven out by the British Army; American and British took over the administration of the Territory, creating the Allied Military Government on the western part of the Julian March or Venezia-Giulia. On June 30, 1945 the AMG of Venetia-Giulia with an executive order signed by, US Army Colonel Nelson W. Monfort, dissolved all the existing police forces in the City of Trieste and other parts of Venezia Giulia, including the Popular Defense Corps or Difesa Popolare, created by the Yugoslavs during their forty-day occupation of the city, from May 1 to June 12, 1945. The allied Forces then had to create a new Civil Police Force to maintain law and order in the territory, and to work alongside their Military Police Forces, to deal with the local civilian matters. The newly created Corps was named Venezia-Giulia Police Force (V.G.P.F); Civil Police was an unconventional name given to the Force, to distinguish them from the Military Police Forces, British and US, which were also operating in the Venezia Giulia, A zone, at the end of WW2. They were also known with the moniker "Cerini" or "Wax Matches", because of the uniform they worn. In fact the contrast between the huge white helmet and the dark blue British Uniform, reminded to the population, the shape of a Wax Match.
Organization
The Venezia Giulia Police Force was created in September 1945, after the training school opened in August 1945 had trained and graduated men who had passed a medical test and had their political records scrutinized. It was organized into 7 divisions: Administrative and Personnel, Uniformed Police Criminal Investigation, Transportation, Training, Quartermaster (supply) and Prison Service. Divisions had subdivisions or sections, covering every branch of service: Division 1: Administrative, Personnel, Finance, Medical, and Press Office; Division 2: Uniformed Police, Mounted Section, Forest, Female Police service created in 1947; Division 3: Cabinet, License, Criminal Investigation Department; Division 4:Transport, Communication, and Traffic; Division 5: Quartermaster, Procurement Office; Division 6:Training and Police Band; Division 7: Divisional Headquarter including the Coroneo Jail, The Jesuits and Tigor Street Jails. The last two were in use until 1952.
Training Facilities and Police School Academy as well as police band, with 60 members, were located at the Beleno Barracks, in Trieste in Street Pasquale Revoltella number 29-35. In addition there were Fishery Patrol, Motor Boat Patrol, Railway Police Service and Female Police. Although Fishery Police was part of the V.G.P.F., they did not share the same civilian status; they were military, and wore different uniforms. Fishery Police were given the tasks that nowadays are commonly carried out by the Coast Guard, such as Territorial Waters and Fishing boats protection. The Fishery Police Patrol, who was also in charge of the Port area security, and was established in August 1945 after few British officers had entered gun-in-hand into the Trieste Port Authority Offices, who were still held by the Yugoslavs, kicking them literally out. The Female section of the V.G.P.F. was created in 1947, and it was real innovation compared to the old Italian concept of policing. Their tasks were more or less those assigned to the other units, including investigating vice crimes and prostitution. The V.G.P.F. had also a Female Section, which was a forerunner for the future introduction of women into the Italian Police Forces. Female Officers were issued the same uniforms of their male colleagues, but they were not allowed to carry firearms during night shifts.
The newly formed Police Force also had a chaplain Service, and a trade union. The Roman Catholic Mons. Mario Novach served as corps chaplain from 1948 until its dissolution in 1961, as most of the Corps member were Roman Catholic and Willy Marcocci was the union secretary.
Transport service, or truck pool, whose trucks were provided by the military authorities, also included the communication and Road Police Unit. The communication section was in charge of all type of communications, radio, teletype and telephones, including the management of the emergency number phone number, 223. The radio center was located into the Local Government House in Piazza/Square Unita' d'Italia. Road Police Unit was responsible for patrolling the roads. In addition to their general road policing duties, they assisted with various operations aimed at improving road safety by promoting campaign for the Road-safety aimed to reduce the rate of road collision in Trieste, and were also in charge to draft reports in case of vehicle collisions. The Civil Police were equipped with Morris cars.
The Police Force had its own gazette, Il Eco della Polizia ("The Echo of the Police") whose last issue was on October 25, 1954. The newspaper ha d its typography located in Via dell 'Istria n.54 in Trieste the present seat of the Provincial Carabineers HQ of Trieste.
The V.G.P.F was also involved in the recovering of the corpses from the Foibes, deep karst sinkhole, and the V.G.P.F Criminal Investigation Division was in charge of the investigation. The "Corpse Recovering Squad" was part of the forensic section and was led by the Inspectors Umberto De Giorgi and Oronzo Rizzo. The long report drafted by Inspector De Giorgi, pertaining the operation of the corpses recovering from foibes, is available online, in Italian language. During the November 1951 Polesine flooding, when two thirds of the Polesine Italian geographical region was flooded, the V.G.P.F organized a relief party commanded by Superintendent May, a former Metropolitan Police Superintendent, with more than 150 men equipped with: 11 heavy trucks, 10 motorcycle, 11 jeeps, a mobile radio station, 5 light trucks, a water supply truck, an ambulance and a searching-light truck.
Commissioner