Safe stations and illegal taxis: the institutional agreement in Varese is renewed for the third time. The experience started two years ago is being repeated on the provincial territory, with the aim of increasing controls in favor of citizen safety. Villa Recalcati hosted the signing of the agreement, in the presence of the regional councilor for security and civil protection Romano La Russa and the prefect Salvatore Pasquariello. Among the signatories also Trenord, RFI, Ferrovie Nord, the Local Public Transport Agency of the Como, Lecco and Varese basin and some municipalities in the area, with Varese, Busto Arsizio and Gallarate acting as the leaders. The objective is twofold: the promotion of integrated safety in railway stations and the fight against the illegal operation of taxis at Malpensa airport. The provision provides for additional services of the local police. The agents will operate mainly in the areas adjacent to the railway stations and in the event of emergencies they will be able to intervene within them, coordinating with the operations center of the Police Headquarters and with that of the Carabinieri of Busto, Gallarate and Varese. “To cover the costs of extraordinary checks – explained councilor La Russa – the Lombardy Region has allocated 60 thousand euros. We are very satisfied, however, because we are replicating a model of integrated safety checks which has already achieved excellent results in the past”.
The mayor of Varese Davide Galimberti intervened precisely on the economic aspect. “There is no doubt that there is a need for greater resources in a province with four cities with four important stations and many other stations in smaller towns – he commented – I think this is one more drop, but I hope that at the next renewal there will be ever greater resources”.
The mayor of Gallarate Andrea Cassani stressed that “The municipalities do their part. I thank the Lombardy Region for standing by our side to have better stations”. The councilor for security of Busto Salvatore Loschiavo expressed gratitude towards the local police who are available for additional tasks in addition to those already carried out daily. In 2023, 19 entities were involved, with checks on over 1000 people and approximately 400 vehicles, with a commitment of 1400 hours by the local police personnel.
Lorenzo Crespi
