Saturday
Jun142008
Italy Putting Soldiers On The Street!!
Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 11:28PM
The Italian government defends its decision to use soldiers to patrol cities in an effort to curb crime and rejects any criticism in the matter.
The government has been criticized for militarizing the streets by making this decision.
Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa told Sky Italia television, "There is a strong call from citizens for better control of the streets, for improved safety. My hope is that particularly in the evening, in the cities, these troops can ensure greater safety".
This is while the government announced on Friday that up to 2,500 soldiers, some of whom having served in Afghanistan and Kosovo, would be made available for a trial period of six months to strengthen the police in difficult urban areas.
However, Italy's main trade unions said that instead of using soldiers, the government should make better use of the 25,000 police officers who are doing desk work, and the mayor of Turin said the move was, "populist demagoguery", that would hurt tourism and Italy's image abroad.
La Russa maintained that he didn't understand the criticism but specified that the use of soldiers wouldn't be permanent, with the initial six-month period being renewable just once.
The government has been criticized for militarizing the streets by making this decision.
Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa told Sky Italia television, "There is a strong call from citizens for better control of the streets, for improved safety. My hope is that particularly in the evening, in the cities, these troops can ensure greater safety".
This is while the government announced on Friday that up to 2,500 soldiers, some of whom having served in Afghanistan and Kosovo, would be made available for a trial period of six months to strengthen the police in difficult urban areas.
However, Italy's main trade unions said that instead of using soldiers, the government should make better use of the 25,000 police officers who are doing desk work, and the mayor of Turin said the move was, "populist demagoguery", that would hurt tourism and Italy's image abroad.
La Russa maintained that he didn't understand the criticism but specified that the use of soldiers wouldn't be permanent, with the initial six-month period being renewable just once.
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