“I don’t feel it at all as a ‘diminutio’ to have gone from commanding the municipal police of Rome, a body of 6,300 policemen, to leading a police station with 300 officers. Not only due to the type of function, it is an important responsibility to be a police commissioner. And then they are both ministerial choices, service provisions that come from the Interior Ministry, for different and equally crucial roles”. Ugo Angeloni, police commissioner in Siena for less than two months, wants to be photographed with his managers, to reiterate that he leads a team.
What is the difference between commanding Rome and Siena?
“Basically one of responsibility. A police commissioner must protect public order and safety, coordinating with the other police forces. In Rome I was head of the local police, which looked at urban safety, from degradation to deviance. Different tasks, even if they touch each other.”
Your first approach to Siena?
“A wonderful city. Only from the inside can you understand how rich it is in history, art and culture. Comparable to Rome, without fear. When I entered the Palazzo Pubblico, I had the same sensations as when I entered the Capitoline Hill”.
Is there an extra element?
“Yes, the social factor. The organization of the Contrade is unique, it gives the essence of the community. Only when you know it can you understand its value. In our work of controlling the territory, social control is crucial. Finding it in a city organized in this way, is a formidable help.”
Are the security numbers at the Palio the same as in previous years? Will there be reinforcements, plainclothes officers, dog units, bomb squads, snipers on the roofs and a helicopter in the sky?
“I have not changed anything, I immediately recorded indications on the effectiveness of public order services for the management of the Palio. It is not easy to know how to adapt the prevention device, which requires rigor, with the flexibility and a lot of common sense necessary to respect a centuries-old rite. I have found here a wide range of colleagues who know how to adapt to the Festival. A machine of the highest level, I only had to make small interventions of direction, especially with the municipal administration”.
Did you understand what the word ‘fronting’ means?
“Of course and I also understood the meaning of your question. I believe that the front is experienced today, by the city and by the Contrade, adapting to the times. And by the police this tradition is read differently from an article of code”.
Will common sense be your compass on the subject?
“Undoubtedly. But these are situations that must also be seen from a regulatory perspective.”
Excuse me if I translate; do you mean that if you exaggerate, the confrontation becomes something else?
“It’s like this: where the conditions exist, we will act. But we will see on a case-by-case basis.”
What is the biggest safety fear in the Palio?
“Given that, after what we have said, I have guarantees that all the pieces of the control system are in place, I have no particular fears. There will be a notable turnout, but I have already seen, on the day of the Contrade extraction, that there is a lot of self-control by the Contrade. Then there are the ordinary situations related to thousands of people in a single place”.
How are the relationships with the Sienese institutions?
“Friendly from the beginning. Maximum collaboration from May 2nd onwards, within the framework of a direction that is up to the prefect”.
How do you imagine its impact with the Palio?
“I have very strong expectations. I’ve seen it a few times on TV, but it doesn’t give you an idea. It’s the stories of my collaborators that raise expectations.”
After the Palio, will you dedicate yourself to the province? Are there any emergencies that worry you?
“I have already started. I will intensify visits and collaborations with the Carabinieri and the Financial Police. This is an area that does not highlight particular security situations. The challenge is to be able to maintain these high levels of public order. The crime numbers do not explain the state of health of a territory. On the one hand because even a single crime, for those who suffer it, is a tragedy. On the other hand because comparisons between territories have a relative meaning”.
