Polizia di Stato

State Police
Polizia di Stato
Coat of Arms
Coat of Arms
Flag
Flag
Common namePolizia
AbbreviationP.S.
MottoSub lege libertas
"Freedom under the law"
Agency overview
Formed11 July, 1852
Employees107,000 (2019)
Annual budget€6.6 billion (2019)
Jurisdictional structure
National agencyItaly
Operations jurisdictionItaly
General nature
Operational structure
Overseen by DepartmentMinistry of the Interior
HeadquartersRome, Viminal Palace
Sworn members104,000+
Civilians6,000-
Agency executive
  • Vittorio Pisani, Chief of the Police, Prefect
Child agencies
Website
poliziadistato.it

The Polizia di Stato (State Police or P.S.) is one of the national police forces of Italy. Alongside the Carabinieri, it is the main police force for providing police duties, primarily to cities and large towns, and with its child agencies it is also responsible for highway patrol (autostrade), railways (ferrovie), airports (aeroporti), customs (together with the Guardia di Finanza), as well as certain waterways, and assisting the local police forces.

It was a military force until 1981 when the Italian State Law 121 was passed. This converted the State Police to a civil force,[1] which is in contrast to the other main police forces of Italy: the Arma dei Carabinieri, which is a military police (gendarmerie) force[2][3] and the Guardia di Finanza, the Italian customs and border protection police that also falls in the military corps category.[4]

The Polizia di Stato is the principal Italian police force for the maintenance of public security and as such it is run directly from the Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza (Department of Public Security), and the keeping of public order (ordine pubblico). Interpol summarizes the primary focus of this force: "Its responsibilities include investigative and law enforcement duties, and the security of motorway, railway, and waterway networks."[5]

  1. ^ "Normeinrete – Navigazione URN". Normeinrete.it. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  2. ^ "Arma dei Carabinieri – Home – > – EN – Institutional Duties". Carabinieri.it. Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  3. ^ "Arma dei Carabinieri – Home – > – EN – Governing Bodies". Carabinieri.it. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Guardia di Finanza – I Compiti del Corpo". Gdf.it. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  5. ^ "Italie". Interpol. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2019.