Milan, 11 July (LaPresse) – “In general terms, the plan announced by the Ministry of the Interior to boost police numbers across the regions can only be viewed positively. It is a sign of a commitment with which I agree. However, it is entirely clear that the figures reveal a marked imbalance between regions when analysed through the lens of Lombardy’s demographic and economic weight: with over 10 million inhabitants, Lombardy accounts for around 17 per cent of Italy’s population. Receiving 180 officers out of a total of 3,000 amounts to just 6 per cent of the allocation, a percentage significantly lower than its demographic weight.” So said the President of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana. “There is also an economic disparity: Lombardy generates around 23 per cent of the national GDP and boasts a density of businesses that is unique in Italy. The wealth generated and the concentration of economic assets inherently generate a volume of transactions, mobility and risks (think of financial crimes, cyber fraud or the infiltration of organised crime into the productive sector, not to mention the worrying ‘activities’ of far too many illegal immigrants) that would require a commensurate level of policing,” adds Fontana, “I am not familiar with the ministerial reasoning behind this decision, which will certainly be based on technical grounds, but we cannot turn a blind eye to this underestimation. Politically, it is a further sign of the underestimation of the needs of the productive North, of Lombardy and of Milan: the allocation of 6 per cent of new officers to a region that accounts for 17 per cent of the population and 23 per cent of GDP appears unfair and risks failing to meet the growing security demands of a territory so crucial to the country. This decision reflects a mindset that fails to understand the region’s needs.”
Fontana: “It’s unfair that Lombardy is getting just 180 extra officers”
Milan, 11 July (LaPresse) – “In general terms, the plan announced by the Ministry of the Interior to boost police numbers across the regions can only be viewed positively. It is a sign of a commitment with which I agree. However, it is entirely clear that the figures reveal a marked imbalance between regions when analysed through the lens of Lombardy’s demographic and economic weight: with over 10 million inhabitants, Lombardy accounts for around 17 per cent of Italy’s population. Receiving 180 officers out of a total of 3,000 amounts to just 6 per cent of the allocation, a percentage significantly lower than its demographic weight.” So said the President of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana. “There is also an economic disparity: Lombardy generates around 23 per cent of the national GDP and boasts a density of businesses that is unique in Italy. The wealth generated and the concentration of economic assets inherently generate a volume of transactions, mobility and risks (think of financial crimes, cyber fraud or the infiltration of organised crime into the productive sector, not to mention the worrying ‘activities’ of far too many illegal immigrants) that would require a commensurate level of policing,” adds Fontana, “I am not familiar with the ministerial reasoning behind this decision, which will certainly be based on technical grounds, but we cannot turn a blind eye to this underestimation. Politically, it is a further sign of the underestimation of the needs of the productive North, of Lombardy and of Milan: the allocation of 6 per cent of new officers to a region that accounts for 17 per cent of the population and 23 per cent of GDP appears unfair and risks failing to meet the growing security demands of a territory so crucial to the country. This decision reflects a mindset that fails to understand the region’s needs.”
