ANCONA There was also a Bangladeshi illegal immigrant among the homeless people of the ancient port. The State Police discovered this with the raid on the Arch of Trajan ordered by the commissioner Cesare Capocasa. Between Wednesday night and dawn yesterday, the Flying Squad agents had to intervene three times before managing to intercept the homeless. «Last night (Wednesday evening for those reading, ed.) we didn’t find anyone while this morning (yesterday morning, ed.), around seven, we spotted two Bangladeshis» says the commissioner.
The investigations
One of the two, however, was just passing through, did not sleep under the arches and had regular documents. The other, a 36-year-old Bangladeshi citizen who is illegal on the national territory, “was taken to the police station and expelled”. During the police checks, three more homeless people of Somali origin arrived at the camp. «All with regular residence permits for international protection» according to Dr. Capocasa. For them, the Police Headquarters limited itself to making a report to the Prefecture to verify whether they have already been included in any assistance program or not.
The garrison
“Those present told us that they were the only ones sleeping there but, clearly, they would not have told us about other homeless people who had left” says the police commissioner. Although “given the time of the intervention, I believe all the people present were more or less identified.” In any case, also in light of the irregularity found in one of those present, “We will continue to monitor the area every day” assures the police chief. The blitz – which lasted a whole night in total – was ordered on Wednesday after the Corriere Adriatico reported the presence of a camp right in the heart of the ancient port, among tourists and Ancona residents. The five vaults where the homeless left their belongings overlook the last stretch of the Vanvitelli seafront, a few steps from the renovated Captain’s House and under the promenade that connects the Arch of Trajan to that of Clementino. But the problem is not just that of degradation: between the vapors produced by the port’s activity and the cold wind that continues to blow every evening, the health of the homeless is also at stake. «Someone may have moved from the Maritime Station or the Fishing Fair after our intervention a year and a half ago but these are small numbers» underlines Capocasa. In mid-2022 the police had already intervened to clear out the former Mandracchio market and the stop under Via XXIX Settembre.
«They were structural interventions, we closed access to the fishing fair and reclaimed the area» recalls the commissioner. Result: “There is no one left in those parts and the numbers have reduced.” At the time, in fact, attendance was estimated at over twenty people. But Lungomare Vanvitelli is no stranger to these camps either. «It also happened last year» notes Capocasa. Who returns to reassure: «We will continue to monitor every day, also with the help of the border police».
