Procedural protection for the police, less discretion of magistrates on repatriations and crackdown on bladed weapons, the new security package will be presented at the next Council of Ministers
That’s the theme safety was one of the government’s priorities is well known. Further proof is the new Security packagea large-scale double maneuver (legislative and operational) currently being finalized aimed at speed up repatriations, limit the activities of NGOs, tighten strategies to combat urban crime and strengthen protection for the police.
The package, promoted by the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosiwhich will soon arrive in the Council of Ministers, is made up of just over sixty articles, divided between a Law Decree and a Bill (DDL).
Acceleration of repatriations by limiting the judiciary
The package aims to make expulsion and repatriation procedures faster and more effectiveintervening on the bureaucratic and legal bottlenecks that regularly slow down the removal of irregular subjects.
The Government is also aiming for one revision of the rules on family reunification and on unaccompanied foreign minors, trying to limit abuse and encouraging assisted repatriation if the parents are identified in the country of origin.
A closer alignment between domestic law and that of the European Union regarding “safe countries” is introduced, with the aim of reduce the processing times of applications for international protection and proceed more quickly with removal of those who do not have the right to remain in the territory, limiting the judge’s discretion.
New crackdown on non-governmental organizations
A particularly interesting front concerns the crackdown on NGO activities in the Mediterranean. The Bill introduces the possibility for the Ministry of the Interior to order the temporary ban on the limit of territorial waters for boats who, through their conduct, constitute a serious threat to public order or national security.
This ban can have a maximum duration of 30 days, extendable for a further 30 if the threat persists.
Furthermore, the provision aims to consolidate the system of centers for migrants in third countriesas expected from the agreement with Albania. The rule establishes that migrants rescued on board vessels subject to interdiction can be taken directly to these non-EU centers for identification and repatriation.
To ensure the effectiveness of this system, the package limits judges’ discretion in validating detentionstrying to legally lock down accelerated border procedures.
“Criminal shield” for the police
A crucial chapter of the package concerns the protection of the police forces through the introduction of what has been defined as a “criminal shield”.
The law provides for the non-registration in the register of suspects for agents and citizens who act in the presence of excuses such as self-defensethe legitimate use of weapons or the fulfillment of a duty, if the act appears clearly justified by the circumstances.
The measure has the clear intention of preventing the automatic launch of a criminal investigation from paralyzing the operations of officers or exposing them to unjustified legal costs for acts committed on duty.
A. is also introduced specific crime for those who do not stop when the police stop and flees in ways that are dangerous to public safety. The penalties provided are severe: imprisonment from six months to five years, suspension of the driving license and mandatory confiscation of the vehicle.
Finally, preventive detention of up to 12 hours is introduced for individuals suspected of posing a danger to public safety, in particular for those who participate in marches wearing helmets or other instruments of misrepresentation that make recognition difficult.
Anti-robbery rules
The crackdown extends to juvenile crime and baby gangs, with the aim of targeting young “maranza” people in the main urban centres. For minors caught with edged weapons, there are administrative sanctions of up to 1,000 euros to be paid by parents or legal guardians.
The. is also introduced ban on the sale of knives to minorsincluding through e-commerce platforms, with fines of up to 12,000 euros for traders and the obligation to keep an electronic register of daily sales.
At the urban level, the package strengthens the urban Daspo and allows the Prefects to establish “Red Zones” in sensitive areas such as railway stations, subways and public parks, where checks will be intensified and access may be denied to individuals already reported.
Zero tolerance on knives
One of the pillars of the provision is zero tolerance on the carrying of cutting instruments capable of offending. The legislation transforms the illegal carrying of knives from a contravention to a criminal offence.
Finally, an absolute ban is established for the carrying of blades larger than 5 centimeters (sharp, snap or butterfly), punishable by imprisonment from 1 to 3 years. For other types of blades exceeding 8 centimetres, carrying without justifiable reason involves imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years.
