NCJ Number
81656
Journal
Police Magazine Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1982) Pages: 42-48
Date Published
1982
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The legislation and law enforcement response to the waves of Red Brigade terrorist activity in Italy is described.
Abstract
Because of Italy's experience with fascism, the Nation's postwar Constitution included new restrictions on the ability of police to obtain search warrants or wiretaps. The kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro changed this. Within a few days of Moro's death, the Parliament amended the national criminal code to increase penalties for specifically terrorist crimes. This was followed in 1981 by a series of antiterrorist laws which included relaxation of wiretapping rules, lower prison sentences or outright freedom for terrorists who inform, and the waiver of the warrant requirement for searching dwellings where terrorists are thought to be hiding. Of the 6 national police organizations, the 87,000-member Carabinieri, which reports to the Ministry of Defense, has been foremost in the struggle against terrorism. A few years ago, a specialized antiterrorist unit called the Division for General Investigations and Special Operations was created from the 80,000-member Public Security Guard, which reports to the Ministry of the Interior. These units are assigned to each of the 94 provincial police stations. The central command of the Carabinieri has a research section that monitors and analyzes the shifting patterns of terrorism. Within the Carabinieri there is a Special Intervention Group that deals exclusively with terrorism. Officials of the Special Intervention Group, while reluctant to discuss their antiterrorist methods, acknowledge that surveillance and the testimony of informants rank high in effectiveness. While the Carabinieri have been successful in imprisoning some 1,600 suspected terrorists, including leaders of the Red Brigades, the latter have consistently reemerged with further violent activity. The Carabinieri officials believe, however, that following the successful rescue of General Dozier, the Red Brigades have been seriously crippled.