# Municipal police (Italy)

In Italy, Polizia Locale (local police), Polizia Municipale (municipal police) and sometimes Vigili Urbani (urban guards, an obsolete term still used colloquially) are the police force of the comuni (municipalities). Their duties are mainly administrative in nature, encompassing tasks such as traffic management, overseeing licenses, and enforcing urban regulations. Additionally, they support general law enforcement efforts and investigate traffic incidents, minor offenses, and petty crimes. There are roughly 60,000 municipal police officers in Italy. Since 2011, the Italian regions have been responsible for coordinating, organizing, and training municipal police.

## History

Some municipal police forces in Italy trace their origins to the vigili urbani and comes stabili of ancient Rome. Organized urban policing emerged in the 13th–14th centuries in the Italian comunes (such as Bologna). While police forces are often considered a modern innovation, these medieval forces had similarities to modern police forces.

## Function

The Polizia Locale and Polizia Municipale are law enforcement agencies operating under Italian local authorities (comuni). In smaller towns, they primarily follow directives issued by the mayor.
They also cooperate with national police forces for local crime prevention and community policing. The jurisdiction of municipal police is generally restricted to a designated area that encompasses one or more cities and villages. They can also be assigned judicial police functions, acting under the authority of the Prosecutor's Office. Other duties include security police, environmental and wildlife protection, and civil protection.
Prior to the 1990s, municipal policing in Italy had a marginal role. Since then, the strength and reputation of the municipal police has increased, particularly in central and northern Italy.

## Organization and Rank Structure

Polizia Locale departments may range in size from a single officer in small villages to thousands of officers in major cities like Rome and Milan. The organization of each department is determined by the city council, based on local regulations and needs. The rank structure varies by region and municipality. A common structure for a mid-sized department is:
* Comandante (Chief) - Usually a senior police officer with the rank of Police Captain or above
* Ufficiali di Polizia Locale - with ranks such as Commissario (Lieutenant)
* Sottufficiali di Polizia Locale - Non-commissioned officers, such as Ispettore (Inspector) or Sovrintendente (Supervisor), roughly equivalent to a Sergeant
* Operatori di Polizia Locale - Officers, with ranks such as Agente (Officer), Agente Scelto (First Class Officer) or Assistente (Senior Officer)

## Equipment

Like most Italian police forces, the Polizia Municipale use a variety of police equipment. These include:
| Type | Description |
| Motor vehicles | Auotmobiles, Motorbikes, Pick-up Trucks |
| Firearms and personal defence equipment | Pistols,, OC spray, extendable batons, handcuffs, subject to individual municipal councils' decisions and regional laws. |
| Uniform | Varies between each municipality but often features white belts and white-topped caps |
| Other | The paletta (white 'lollipop' stick to direct traffic), radios, whistles, notebooks, pens |
Each commune, or sometimes region, has slightly different uniforms and equipment, unlike the state's police forces, as each Polizia Municipale is controlled locally, not by central government.

### Vehicles

Most local police vehicles are white, marked with green, blue, or red stripes with logos, depending on regional regulations. Some forces use blue vehicles, almost always with white stripes.
Most vehicles are equipped with blue flashing beacons or a lightbar, sometimes a spotlight, and a two-tone (hi-lo) siren (sirena), as well as a radio.

### Firearms

Italian police officers may be armed with sidearms in a holster on a belt, or slung from a tunic pocket flap, often on the left-hand side, to allow for cross-draw. The decision to arm Polizia Locale officers and the type of firearm is made by individual municipal councils, subject to some regional regulations.
Since 2018 municipalities with more than 90,000 inhabitants are allowed to equip agents with tasers on an experimental basis.
| Name | Country of origin | Type |
| Beretta 92FS | Italy | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Glock 17 | Austria | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Brügger & Thomet APC9 | Switzerland | Submachine gun |

## Uniforms

Uniforms vary greatly between each Polizia Locale, but common features include:
* White helmet (similar to the British custodian helmet) - used for traffic duties and ceremonies.
* White-topped, yellow-topped or blue-topped peaked cap (for males) or bowler cap (for females)
* Blue beret
* Blue baseball cap
* White or Dark Blue Tunics
* Blue or White Shirts
* NATO jumpers
* Polo-shirts
* Jackets
* Trousers
* Coats
* Black boots/shoes
* High-visibility vest
* White/black gloves
* White waist or Sam Browne belt
* Black belt