BARI – The hunt is on for the “cop”. Spitting, kicking, punching and threatening. Attacks on law enforcement officers on duty and during control activities increase alarmingly every week.
An example? In six different interventions carried out in the last four weeks, by the carabinieri of the mobile radio unit of the Provincial Command, by the policemen of the Flying Sections of the General Prevention and Public Rescue Office of the Police Headquarters, by emergency response agents of the local police of Bari, by the police officers penitentiary serving in the prison of Bari, about ten men returned to the “base” after having suffered physical attacks, verbal violence and threats.
In the most serious cases, the attackers were reported or arrested (two arrests of the police cars, one by the Municipality of Bari) for resistance, threats and injuries to a public official. In more detail, we mention the cases that caused the greatest outcry because the attacks were committed on public streets and among people.
Last Sunday a group of foreign citizens, with too much alcohol in their blood, staged a fight at the crossroads between Corso Italia and via Sagarriga Visconti. Kicks, punches and truncheons equally divided. Splitting up the quarrels, ending up taking some forbidden blows, were two carabinieri from the mobile radio unit who, together with their colleagues, members of two separate patrols, had to work their butts off to restore calm. The brawlers didn’t even stop in front of the men in uniform. For two milliliters, the prognosis is 7 days.
Same behavior carried out last Wednesday in Poggiofranco, in Viale Papa Pio XII, by a sixty-year-old man from Bari with a criminal record who, when called by a local police officer who ordered him to compose himself after having caught him carrying out his bodily needs in front of a full shop day, he reacted by hitting the policeman with a headbutt and several punches in the face and then ran away. He was blocked by some officers who intervened to support his colleague who, after being admitted to hospital, was discharged with a prognosis of two weeks.
The agents of the Flying Squad of the Police Headquarters arrested on charges of resisting a man stopped on the street while he was in a rage, in a strong state of tension, who, during his transport to the hospital for a check on his state of health, attacked the agents. A second arrest was made against a young man who forced a checkpoint.
Two penitentiary police officers on duty in Bari prison also had to resort to medical care (10 days prognosis each), punched and kicked by a 30-year-old inmate with psychiatric problems. It was the representatives of the Sippe and Sappe trade unions who reported the incident, explaining that the inmate refused to return to his cell after the social hour, throwing himself on the ground and kicking at the officers.
We have made a partial list talking about the most serious attacks. Yes, because there are a series of service activities that are, so to speak, minor, but no less important, which too often give rise to violent reactions on the part of those who are subjected to a check or intervention. The statistics paint an increasingly worrying picture. The men and women of the police force experience high risks as they work to maintain public order and control of the territory. The attacks range from direct physical attacks to episodes of resistance during checks, anti-crime operations, demonstrations and sporting events. These attacks not only put the safety of the agents involved at risk, but also undermine the authority of the institutions.
The theme of numbers and staff shortages resurfaces after each episode of violence suffered. The trade unions raised the issue of the need for more hiring also in view of the retirements of a workforce with a constantly growing average age. Overall, over 22 thousand carabinieri and State Police agents are missing in Italy. As for the Penitentiary Police, according to the data reported in the Ministry’s transparency sheets, updated to 2024, 16% of the units foreseen in the staffing plan are missing. In total, the staff actually present is equal to 31,068.
