Police and Public in the Political Struggle in Italy and Europe

• NCJ Number: 80603
• Author(s): Anonymous
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 203 pages
• Sale Source: Surgarco Edizioni
• Country: Italy
• Note: Proceedings of international convention 'A Modern Police on a European Level,' sponsored by the Italian Socialist Party, Rome, January 16-17, 1979

Annotation

Socialist Party leaders and representatives of Italian police unions in Italy and other European countries gather to affirm their parties' efforts to demilitarize, modernize, and especially unionize police.

Abstract

The movement in Italy is seen as part of the country's 'latent socialism' that exists in spite of the party's lack of parliamentary power since 1976. The rise of terrorism in Italy is considered a consequence of the party's decline in political power which has caused political activists to view government as a 'gray and weak artisan of compromise.' Speakers at the party convention see police reform as a necessary act of democratic government. Individual speeches provide details of the Socialist Party's position in favor of enlarging the ranks of organized labor to include police. Experience in police reform outside Italy is detailed by speakers who describe Sweden's long union tradition on the one hand and France's problems with police unionization dating as far back as World War II. The history of the British labor movement is traced, as is West Germany's. Finally, leaders of Italy's police union call for professionalization of police, solidarity against terrorism, strengthening of police unions, police demilitarization, and a linkage of police union power throughout Europe. A dozen references are provided. For individual articles, see NCJ 80604 and 80607.