All foreigners who are interested in Italy, its history, culture and lifestyle, sooner or later discover that in the country two law enforcement agencies stand guard over the law: the Police and the Carabinieri. What is their difference? And what functions do they perform? Let's figure it out.
In the daily life of a law-abiding citizen, the difference between these two units is practically not felt. Unless their uniform is different: the carabinieri have a black uniform, a white shirt and a red stripe on their trousers, and police officers wear a blue jacket, white shirt and gray-blue trousers. Moreover, carabinieri are more often found in small towns, while police officers guard the peace of large megacities.
However, the State Police and the Carabinieri differ both in their history, and in their organization and functions. Indeed, if the Police is a civilian formation subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then the Carabinieri is a military structure under the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, performing not only civilian (police) functions, but also capable of carrying out operations abroad with a regular army.
POLICE (POLIZIA)
State Police - This is the civilian power structure of Italy, leading the history since 1852. The police have their own division into agents, assistants, superintendents, inspectors, employees and managers. It reports to the Department of Public Security, which in turn is part of the Ministry of the Interior.
The range of police duties is very wide: from crime prevention to street patrolling, from control over the safety of citizens during all kinds of demonstrations (sports, music, politics, etc.) to the protection of prisons. In this regard, various types of police were organized with specific tasks and special training. These units include:
- Correctional Police (in prisons)
- Postal police (dealing with shipments and messages in general, including on the Internet)
- Traffic Police (patrolling roads to prevent speeding)
- Railway Police (support and control of the railway network)
- Municipal Police.
CARABINIERI (CARABINIERI)
In turn Carabinieri Corps - This is a military formation based in Sardinia, in Cagliari, in 1814 and representing since 2000 one of the four units of the Italian Armed Forces (Italian Army, Navy, Air Force and Carabinieri Corps). They report directly to the Ministry of Defense.
The name of the Carabinieri comes from the carbine, which they first got into service. In the Italian law enforcement system, carabinieri have a dual position: on the one hand, they are part of the country's armed forces and often carry out tasks abroad, but on the other hand, they also have a share of responsibility for civil security. At the same time, during civil operations, the Carabinieri are subordinate to the State Police, since the latter are considered to be a "specialized" law enforcement unit in the country.
