NCJ Number
80604
Date Published
1979
Length
20 pages
Annotation
A speaker at a 1979 Italian Socialist Party convention affirms the party's dedication to police reform and calls for demilitarization and unionization of police personnel.
Abstract
The Italian Socialist Party is seen to be at the forefront of the democratization of Italian society over the previous 20 years and of the general European movement toward a civilian police force sharing in the rights of organized labor. Italy's holdout against terrorists is seen as evidence of the strength of the compact between the people and the state against those who would destroy republican institutions. However, there is urgent need to make the police more democratic and efficient for continued success against terrorism. Furthermore, the large representation among the police of recruits from the poorest regions of the south has created a strong bond between police and organized labor. The Italian Socialist Party calls for the following specific police reforms: (1) freedom of speech and freedom to organize for all police officers; (2) a return to civilian status for the Security Police which was militarized in 1943, (3) total reorganization of the police structure; and (4) the coordination of activities of all police forces. The Socialist Party's most urgent present focus is on demilitarization of Security Police to solidify its ties to the civilian population in the struggle against terrorism and on unionization of police to solidify ties with other Western European police and with the Italian labor movement. Finally, efficiency and modernization of police are seen as essential in combating antidemocratic forces.