The new cars that arrived at the beginning of the week at the headquarters in via Pirandello, four hybrid Suzuki s-crosses, are not registered with the ‘local police’ license plate; but like normal civilian cars. This means that the Piazza Matteotti institution is required to pay the full ownership tax every year; much higher than what could be faced in the case of ‘service’ registration.
The reason? The first type of cars must be driven by agents in possession of a specific service driving license, which is issued by the Prefecture after a short course and an exam. According to those directly involved, this service license was an achievement for the local police officers. An achievement obtained after years of struggle by the category to be able to have greater protection, on a par with other police forces. And this especially when, for reasons of service, officers are forced to take risks while driving for institutional duties, without actually jeopardizing their civilian driving license, when for example they are forced to run to cope to an emergency.
The problem is that obtaining this license comes at a cost. Cost which, although not high, would be borne by the Municipality. But the Piazza Matteotti authority, through the local police command, preferred to cut this expenditure item several years ago. The result? None of the new hires have a service licence. Only a small part of the staff has it, namely the most senior agents. This then explains why the cars are not registered with ‘local police’ plates, but with normal civil plates. This way all the operators of the command in via Pirandello can drive them.
“Multiplying the number of vehicles in the fleet supplied to the local police, multiplied in turn by the years of use of the vehicles, undoubtedly causes economic damage for the institution”, protests the municipal councilor of the League, Simone Carapia.
“Evidently – adds the opposition representative – the administration does not deem it appropriate to protect its staff, because none of the new hires have had a service license for several years”. The thing that “regrets and angers” the Northern League member Carapia is that the Municipality is “more inclined to make a very high annual outlay, consequently causing considerable economic damage given by the different taxation on vehicles, rather than spending a minimal one-off sum ‘to ensure that officers obtain service licences”. A choice which, the Northern League representative always observes, “would also protect them while driving the administration’s vehicles”.
In short, on the one hand an investment that is certainly not fruitful for the municipal coffers; and on the other agents far from satisfied with this choice.
“These may seem like minor controversies but they are not at all, because they cause significant economic damage, displease the staff and highlight, if it isn’t already clear, a management of the local police that is nothing short of disastrous and careless”, attacks Carapia . And he concludes: “Who knows if this time too Mayor Panieri will turn a deaf ear and not give the necessary explanations on how he wastes the money of the citizens of Imola and the surrounding area”.
