Police union raises alarm: "The situation in Sassari is unsustainable."
The SIULP (Italian Public Safety Authority) said: "On Sunday, only one patrol car was deployed in the area, resulting in staff shortages and the systematic use of overtime."Per restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
No more staffing shortages in the Sassari State Police. Following the stabbing on Via Marghinotti on Sunday night, the Italian Police Union (SIULP) is raising the alarm again about staffing shortages at the police headquarters, particularly in the Flying Squad and the Flying Squad.
"On pre-holiday nights, Sassari becomes a gathering place for numerous young people, including those from neighboring municipalities, who crowd the bars, squares, and streets of the historic center," notes SIULP provincial secretary Massimiliano Pala . "This concentration of people requires adequate prevention and control measures, especially at night, when the risk of fights, assaults, and other disturbances of public order can be particularly high."
But for a population of 140,000, law enforcement is extremely limited. "On the very night of the stabbing," the union statement states, "the severe staff shortage and the concurrent need for numerous services had led to an extremely critical operational situation, with only one patrol car present in the area, supported on this occasion by personnel from the Flying Squad."
All this, the SIULP reports, while the Flying Squad is understaffed by 60%, and "just twenty or so colleagues to support a delicate, complex, and essential investigative activity for the safety of the entire provincial territory."
Then there is, continues the trade organization, " the systematic recourse to overtime , which for many operators frequently reaches 60 hours per month, often necessary to make up for staff shortages and guarantee service coverage."
This has repercussions on the private lives of operators, in a situation where "emergency becomes normality."
"Professional sacrifice cannot replace serious planning of assignments and a concrete strengthening of the offices most exposed to operational needs," states the SIULP. In conclusion, it "urges the Department of Public Safety and local and regional political representatives, each within their respective areas of expertise, to urgently take action to significantly strengthen the Sassari Police Headquarters, particularly the Flying Squad and the Mobile Squad."