No complaints and a lot of desire put yourself at the service of citizens in the her Catania. These are just two of the objectives of assistant deputy commissioner Antonino Ciavolanew manager ofGeneral prevention and public aid office of the Catania police. A role assumed after having directed the Flying Squad in Caltanissetta, Enna and Ragusa. And it is precisely in this latter area that Ciavola distinguished himself in the investigations into the murder of Loris Stivalthe eight-year-old boy strangled with plastic ties on November 29, 2014 in the family home in Santa Croce Camerina. An infanticide for which the mother was convicted Veronica Panarello. Indelible memories that cannot be missed by looking at the plaques displayed in the police officer’s room. Along with a photo on the front page of the magazine Modern policewhere Ciavola is immortalized during a migrant landing.
Can we give a report on the first weeks in Catania?
«Directing a police office like this is exciting, because it means dealing with the control of the territory in a complex city from many points of view. There is, for example, the issue of tourism and the safety of those who decide to visit Catania. For someone from Catania, like me, it means having a double or triple responsibility. And it is not just that of the institutions, because we are called to serve our country. There is also the desire to provide the security that we hope for as citizens. In the offices, among the policemen, I found a lot of enthusiasm. This is a nice thing because you can breathe a positive air.”
Catania has many problems on the security front but it is also true that operational difficulties linked to the insufficiency of agents often emerge. What do you think?
«One of the objectives, perhaps a priority, is the implementation of territorial security. I’m here because our police commissioner knows how much I care about the city. As a man and a policeman I don’t like to complain. I have not been used to doing this and I must say that it really achieves little, therefore I believe it is necessary to have motivated policemen and I have always had this opportunity.”
How is the work of the police cars organised?
«The city is divided into three sectors: one covered by the carabinieri and two by the police. We don’t always have the same areas but there is a rotation every 24 hours. For this reason, sometimes the carabinieri arrive and sometimes the police. On average we have about ten crews, excluding some types such as dog teams or bomb squads. While the Volanti motorbikes operate from 8 to 24. The priority is the citizen with his needs. My office experiences emergencies every day. The objective is to give immediate answers even if, sometimes, there are intervention times that may not be understood. There are cases in which we have cold interventions where the crime has already been committed and, therefore, there are other facts that become priorities. Catania always requires greater control of the territory. Fortunately, microcrime is decreasing compared to the past. Once upon a time we had 15 muggings a day while now, almost two months after I took office, we have only recorded two. Anyone who says that the city is more dangerous, in my opinion, is only causing gratuitous harm, they should just collaborate with us. Today everything is emphasized even if it is a solvable problem, even in a banal way. We also deal with traffic, because for example there is a public order emergency due to the entrance to the Polyclinic hospital, but also with thefts of cars or parts thereof.”
The term has entered the local vocabulary satanization to indicate the continuous theft of car parts and spare parts. An emergency or just a phenomenon that has always been there but is now being emphasized through social media?
«The parts market is declining compared to the past, although it is still absolutely in vogue. This is because there is a parallel market of those looking for spare parts at a good price. Marketplace Of Facebookbut also portals like Subito.it, they give us an insight into how the market works, making it even more difficult for us to control. Previously the fences were easy to spot, because they were two or three junkyards. We went, did some checks and were able to point them out. On the internet it is much more difficult because there are fences who limit themselves to small availability of spare parts, although there are still professionals. The fact that Catania is among the top cities in Italy for car thefts is an indication of the fact that there are well-structured organizations that manage to sell these parts.”
Drug dealing is no longer an emergency but a phenomenon that has affected the city for years, despite hundreds of raids. Why can’t we stop it?
«Crack is the main emergency in Catania. Drug dealers are difficult to block because, in addition to demand, there is a supply of jobs. With kids who, not wanting to find a real job, manage to work as sentries or something else. This is tempting for those who don’t really want to work honestly.”
In his life there is not only work and loved ones but also an intense devotion to Sant’Agata. How did you approach this world which, more often than not, mixes the sacred and the profane?
«I don’t wear sackcloth but I am devoted to Sant’Agata for many intimate reasons and then because I am tied to the city in a visceral way and she always protects us. I got to know the party when I was a Red Cross volunteer during my university years. The party is special because we are all the same, there is a sort of general leveling, we are all there for her, for Agata. However, Catania needs more love from its citizens. The city is much appreciated by those coming from outside. I decided I wanted to join the police as a kid, when I realized that Catania was dominated by crime, at that moment I understood that I wanted to be different from the rest and I have always hated oppression.”
Is there an unforgettable moment from your career as a policeman?
«The best moment of my career so far? When you realize that you have given freedom to a person afflicted by a crime. Freeing victims or their families from injustices, this is the meaning of our work. Our thoughts go to the families of those killed, having done them justice is our mission.”
The worst? PP
«Having seen children and people of all ages arriving dead in our country, dying for a dream called Europe is not acceptable. I often think of their half-closed eyes.”
