OLBIA. “The Commissariats of Olbia, Porto Cervo, Alghero, Ozieri And Pausanias Temple they constantly experience the emergency of having to ensure the numerous institutional services required with small units”. The provincial secretariat declared it in a press release FSP State Police of Sassari in which he underlines how “essential reinforcements are missing” and how the Territorial Control sector “is increasingly at risk”.
“The economic crisis and youth hardship – which also affect the centers of our Province – we read in the document – are leading to an increase in illicit behavior and situations of degradation. All this continually creates operational emergencies that cannot be addressed with the means and men currently available in our offices.
The very serious shortage of personnel has highlighted even more the dripping of units which, also due to the lack of rotation of transferred or retired personnel, have not been replaced. An underrated province. This can be seen from the recent plan for the next personnel assignments. For this reason we have once again contacted our national secretariat to request a real intervention from the higher Ministry. We are tired of promises without follow-through.”
From the Police Union Federation they underline that “In recent years in this Province and, above all in Gallura, the transfers and retirements of personnel have been numerous despite the almost small assignments, so much so that in the final calculation, the expenditure far exceeds the income, especially young agents. Thus, in the “hottest” and strategic area of the entire North of Sardinia, the police station of Olbia and the “satellite” one of Porto Cervo have not seen any increase useful for implementing territorial control services.
On the other hand, the requests for coverage of public order services which the few available men must constantly deal with become increasingly more pressing. Perhaps it is time to open our eyes and admit that we can no longer make up for the lack of staff with an even greater increase in shifts and various services that fall on a few actually employable units.
The broad and decidedly varied jurisdiction that characterizes the territory of competence of all the police stations, and in particular those of Olbia and Porto Cervo, requires the urgent and no longer extendable assignment of stable reinforcement units.
Currently, fundamental activities have not “stopped” only due to the sense of duty of a few policemen who firmly believe in the work they do. But you should know that when a user calls the police to request intervention from the men in uniform, they may be told that no one will arrive. Because the steering wheel isn’t there.
In our opinion – continues the note – better control of the territory, with greater projection towards the outside, also for better perceived security and deterrence, represent the short and medium term objectives to be achieved. For everyone’s safety. Instead, in recent years a sector as delicate and fundamental as that of Territorial Control has been plundered of operators, both due to transfers and to deal with numerous other priorities which, in any case, they explained to us, needed to be ensured.
So now we are amazed at the small number of agents on the streets and in the coordination and processing offices, not considering that those employed make enormous sacrifices to still provide answers to citizens and the necessary legal process for the numerous procedures to be processed”.
According to the FSP, “a real commitment that ensures, in a short time, the assignment of a suitable number of personnel can no longer be postponed, starting from the Olbia police station, recently elevated to a district by the “Single Ordering Act of the Territorial Offices” decree dated 28 June 2022, signed by the Chief of Police, and all other police stations and specialized peripheral offices, such as the Border Police.
In fact, let’s not forget that all the border offices in this province, Olbia and Alghero, including the smallest with border duties (Porto Cervo, Saint Teresa of Gallura, Porto Torres), they have been experiencing an inexorable trickle of transfers, retirements and limited assignments for years.
Finally, it is worth underlining that, unfortunately, although the city of Olbia has the Police Commissariat and the Border Office (port and airport) which are actually the most important overall on the island, these have never been affected by an implementation of staffing adequate to the real operational needs, to bring the management of the ordinary institute services foreseen back to normal at least.
Not to mention the miserable summer reinforcements which, for years, have not even allowed us to cover 24-hour shifts with one patrol, let alone with the two necessary to maintain an adequate level of safety for the operators themselves, as well as the elusive prevention activity and capacity of operational response to the numerous and legitimate requests of users. Let us remember these humble considerations – concludes the document – when we see a State Police car in the area, now almost a rarity”.
