Why does Italy have so many different police forces?

Question

Whilst I was in Rome recently, I noticed five different police forces:

Carabinieri

Polizia

Polizia Municipale

Polizia Provinciale

Guardia di Finanzia

Why does Italy have so many forces? For what is each responsible? I did wonder to myself which I should call if I was mugged.

Answer 1

First Carabinieri are under military command.  Then Guardia di Finanzia are the equivalent of Customs.  It basically only leaves locale, traffic and a force which deals with occurrences outside the remit of the other two.

If you want to see lots o different police try the USA.  In Chicago I stopped counting at double figures.  Boston is even worse, with Cambridge and Sommerville all having matching forces.

Answer 2

I know that when I was in Florence, I had several police come at me when I went beyond the lines surrounding a statue in a piazza. I wonder which kind that was. Perhaps Polizia Municipale (city police). Different police forces for different jurisdictions.

Answer 3

try us in france we are about the same

Answer 4

Municipal would have come to your assistance and each of the forces have their separate duties and its worked well for 50 odd years so don't criticise it you wont be popular

Answer 5

I like Pinguino' s answer. Anyway the main 2 are Polizia di Stato e Arma dei Carabinieri (4th military force in Italy). Guardia di Finanza is very important too to check the trade follows the rules without corruption or fraudes. Polizia municipale depends from any single city: for the most it makes fines as consequence to breaking national laws regulating driving and city' s regulations.

In case of emergency call 112 or 113. It s free.

Answer 6

There are more than five!

Polizia di Stato (under the authority of Minister of the Interior)

Arma dei Carabinieri (Ministry of Defence)

Guardia di Finanza (Ministry of Economy)

Polizia Penitenziaria (Ministry of Justice)

Corpo Forestale dello Stato (Ministry of agriculture and regional authorities)

then the local police

Poliza Provinciale (province)

Polizia Municipale (municipality)

(or both as "Polizia Locale")

Answer 7

Look at Penguino's answer.

The 3 main law enforcement agencies (Carabinieri

Polizia (di Stato),Guardia di Finanza) have both peculiar fields of actions AND overlapping  jurisdictions

All 3 of them have the same power about:

- criminal investigation

- order keeping

- road traffic's checks

But:

- Carabineri is a military force, also used in war/peace keeping scenario AND it plays the Military Police role inside the Italian Forces

- Polizia di Stato issues many licences/authorization in every day life: passport, licence to bear weapons, etc.

- Guardia di Finanza is specializated to fight tax fraud or infringements

Why this?

Local polices have powers limited and tied to local authorities duties: they  exist for the authonomy granted to local authorities by Constitution.

About the said 3 main polices.

1. It is a everlasting feature in Italian civil and military service that everything is created, but nothing is destroyed*. Each Agency grips tightly its powers and duties.

When a new Agency is created, prevous agency don't lose powers.

2. Each branch of central government (Ministero) is aside, as each executive/administration member is.

The Head of Government is born late In Italian history and it was faint and loose figure among other Minsters, but in Fascism (however, Mussolini also keeps for himself two most important Ministeries: to be Head of Government wasn't enough)