“We share a single thought in the statement signed by some minority forces: the need to lower the flags of factionalism and to exclusively display that of the Municipality of Bitonto, overcoming all political and ideological divisions. To do this, however, you have to really believe in it by working concretely for the growth of the city. We do not need sterile controversies, which are often misleading and approximate, but concrete manifestations of love towards community“.
Thus begins the mayor’s reply Francesco Paolo Ricci to the note signed by the opposition forces at Palazzo Gentile regarding a different attitude of the municipal administration towards episodes of crime that have recently affected our city.
“Let me be clear once and for all: all attempts to denigrate the city on social media, and in the City Council, to ride the usual narrative of the ‘city out of control’ do not have any positive effect, on the contrary they fuel a sense of terror and security among the many respectable people who populate Bitonto, Palombaio and Mariotto.
Since June 13, 2022, the day on which the Bitonto community chose the center-left coalition to govern our city, we have preferred concreteness to controversy, daily work to hasty and biased judgments. We are aware that the usual “post-commercials” are necessary to try to assert one’s political existence, but the city needs more. Of concrete and achievable proposals, of a constant and passionate commitment.
Regardless of the serious episode that occurred in the night between last Friday and Saturday, which involved criminals ‘specialised’ in this type of assault, perpetrators of several attacks in our areas and on whom the investigators are carrying out the necessary investigations, the press release accuses Some Minority Forces contains numerous inaccuracies that deserve clarity.
This Administration, since last summer, in concert with the Prefecture, has developed an inter-force plan to ensure the presence and protection of the territory by the police forces on weekends. This will not allow us to eliminate the age-old problem of crime, but it will certainly limit their operations. And let’s not forget that i local representatives of the centre-right they have several national interlocutors from whom we can directly request further support for our security measures.
On the topic of souped-up electric bicycles we are waiting, as promised by Minister Salvini, deputy prime minister of the centre-right government, for a law that gives effective intervention tools to the police to repress the hateful phenomenon.
The transformation of the current Police Commissariat from second to first level, and the Institution of the Carabinieri Lieutenancy, are proposals that are probably incompatible with each other and always possible with the necessary contribution of the Ministry of the Interior, which certainly does not depend on the current Mayor. In any case, the mayor and the entire Administration continue to be in constant contact with the Prefecture, the Police Headquarters and all the police forces – whom we thank for their incessant commitment – They too, who know our city perfectly, clash with one on a daily basis shortage of staff and with them contingent emergencies in the rest of Italywhich lead to having more forces in territories more at risk than ours.
The initiatives of social anti-mafia in Bitonto there is no shortage. For example, it probably escapes part of the city’s opposition that last March we hosted, in collaboration with Teatrermitage, Teatro Pubblico Pugliese and with the patronage of Notice Pubblico and Libera, an event to raise awareness of social and civil issues aimed at students of Bitonto schools. But on this aspect – as on many others – we await, if there are, concrete proposals from minority forces to strengthen this type of initiative.
We reiterate once again that this Administration will not close its doors to anyone and will always be available for dialogue. A dialogue which, however, is constructive and aimed at the growth of the community, not at its denigration. The objective must not be to make noise to try to gather electoral support, but to produce facts and improve the well-being of citizens.
The battle against organized crime is a common battle that requires cohesion and unity. Above all because, unfortunately, crime in our territory has been active for some time and was active – probably even more evidently – in the few years in which the centre-right governed this city, when several cases of shootings, white wolf shootings, attempted murders and murders. Let’s put aside the controversies and all work together only and exclusively for the good of Bitonto, Palombaio and Mariotto“.
Monday 17 June 2024
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