«Criminal baby gangs are not a problem for young people. Here in Naples there is a mixture of Camorra and gangsterism”

Before introducing himself to the city he chose to study, to read, to meet people, to live it. And she thinks that Naples is experiencing a cultural spring. Fifty-two years old, husband and father of two children. He has been at the police station for about a month, but has so far chosen not to speak without knowing. It is Giovanni Leuci, the new head of the Naples Flying Squad, after the farewell of Alfredo Fabbrocini.

Where is it originally from?
«I was born and raised in Caserta, where I remained until I was 19, then I left for the police commissioner course and have always been in other areas. Especially in Sicily and Lombardy. Before today I had never worked in Naples. I know the city, but not well from my point of view, that of an investigator. I’m still studying”.

Are there elements to draw up an initial assessment?
«I come from Sicily and my experience is mainly linked to Trapani where there is mafia-style crime. Silent, with limited numbers, but no less dangerous. In Naples I expected to find large criminal superstructures which also exist, but form the backdrop to a series of gangs which, although organised, are limited to specific geographical areas. The gangs are very dangerous and generate strong social alarm.”

Less mafia and more gangsterism in Naples?
«In my opinion there are both and they coexist like two souls. And I must say that the investigative offices, and I am also talking about the Prosecutor’s Office, are equipped to fight this double battle. Double, because one aspect cannot be neglected in favor of the other. While street crime gives an almost daily perception of danger, the Camorra structure is immanent and permanent. I’m reading sentences and information that say exactly this. All the small criminal groups, even though they move autonomously, fighting each other and sometimes killing each other, then refer to two or three mafia-style macrosystems that operate in the city and in the first province”.

A justice collaborator defined the attacks as “a means of mass distraction” created to allow large criminal groups to divert the attention of investigators from their affairs. What do you think?
«It could be a strategy, but personally I don’t think it’s deliberate. The risk is that investigative structures waste their resources in a multiplicity of small episodes of violence. But these are investigations that need to be done. If a mother in Fuorigrotta is hit by a stray bullet, if a boy is injured in the street, we need to get to the bottom of the matter. But this also applies to violent robberies, fires and other micro-episodes. At the same time we must always keep in mind the background, that linked to organized crime. Prosecutor Gratteri says it right when he says that we need to follow the money that the clans have accumulated over the years, understand how it was invested.”

Like in Sicily?
«Yes, but I noticed that in Naples high-level criminal organizations are also interested in lower profile crimes such as Rolex robberies, fraud on the elderly or smuggling».

How?
«They ask for their percentage of profit. The large criminal structure does business at a high level, reinvesting and clearing the money earned through large-scale trafficking or the proceeds of extortion, but never loses contact with the territory. The clans, with their own military wing, force smaller groups to pay a duty on criminal activities.”

More and more often, small criminal groups are made up of very young people, even minors. How worrying is this phenomenon?
«It is worrying to the extent that we do not deal with it and if we treat it as a local and low-profile criminal phenomenon. I address the crimes committed by baby gangs as a crime, not as a youth problem as a sociologist would. The director of Nisida prison was among the first people I met to better understand these kids. The picture that emerged is bleak, because the average age of access to the same criminal structures has dropped.”

How did you find the relationship between citizens and the police?
«In Naples, as a young student, I noticed a cultural closure between citizens and institutions. Today Naples is experiencing a spring. It is a culturally alive city full of positive impulses. We must ensure that the healthy part of the city follows us and feels close to us.”