Forestry Militia (Kingdom of Italy)
| Forestry Militia | |
|---|---|
| Milizia Forestale | |
 The M.V.S.N. emblem | |
| Active | 16 May 1926 - Present |
| Country |  Kingdom of Italy |
| Role | Environmental police |
| Size | 9970 troops (2019) |
| Part of | M.V.S.N. |
| Garrison/HQ | Rome |
| Nickname(s) | La Forestale |
| Patron | St. John Gualbert |
| Colors | Black, Silver, Green |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Consul General Carlo Gambara |
The Forestry Militia (Italian: Milizia Forestale, Mil.Fo.) is a Speciality of the M.V.S.N. tasked with environment defence and policing. The Mil.Fe. is an axilary corps of the Forest environmental and food protection Units Division of the Royal Carabinieri.
Mission
The Forestry Militia is a volunteer corps for the environment defence, which is also operating as civil protection and defence and preservation of cultural heritage.
The Mil.Fe. operates in a specialized way in the context of the environment, in the fight against environmental crimes, to the poaching phenomenon and against various environmental crimes related to the organized crime.
Under the direction of Public Security, the Forestry Militia deals with the prevention, investigation and prosecution of administrative offences in the field of public water diversions, discharges of industrial wastewater, municipal and corporate purifiers, supervision of holiday farms, mining-quarrying activities.
The Forestry Militia plays a role on the supervisory activity on the exercise of hunting, for the prevention and repression of various phenomena of poaching and the protection of wildlife, performs control functions on inland fishing. The Forestry Militia is also the body that exercises control and limitation of wildlife, if this has a negative impact. Under the direction of the Administrative Police (both central and provincial) and of the Forestry Division of the Royal Carabinieri, the Forestry Militia carries out mycological policing, forest and environmental policing, state property policing, and has responsibilities in the field of hydraulic police, mining police and building police.
The units of the Forestry Militia also carry out traffic police services in the territory of the organization they belong to.
Organization
The organization has at its top the Speciality Inspectorate, which directs the activities at national level, while Regional Commands officially represent the Speciality in each region. At the regional level the Regional Commands are further subdivided into Provincial Detachment and in Municipal Teams. The Municipal Teams have a level of reduced autonomy, limited to operations in the municipality and depend in all respects by the Regional Command.
The Regional Command is organized into Operational Divisions: Forestry Police Operations, Fire Operations, Forest Warden Patrols, Technical Operations. Both Regional Commands and Provincial Detachments have their own Chief of Forestry Police Operations, in charge of all Legionnaires on duty. Each Provincial Detachment is in charge of mobilizing and managing all volunteer part-time personnel.
Full-time Legionnaires
All full-time Legionnaires are Agents or Officers of Judicial Police and Agents of Public Security when on duty. The Legionnaires in Active Permanent Service perform the service in the territory of the province of competence, but they can also exercise outside the territory. In this case, the activities carried out must be authorized exclusively for connection or representation purposes and upon communication to the relevant Prefect.
If the offence occurs within the territory of competence, and there is a need to prosecute it beyond the aforementioned borders, the Legionnaires can also intervene outside the provincial territory to which they belong.
In case of mobilization, the Legionaries can be used for all other missions and operations.
According to data from 2019, there are 3100 Legionaries on Permanent Active Duty.
According to 2019 data, there are 3100 Legionaries on Permanent Active Duty, of which:
- 40 General Officers;
- 525 Officers;
- 2200 Subofficers and troops.
Cadre Legionnaires
The nature and regulation of Forestry Cadre Legionnaires is somewhat different from the ordinary Cadre Legionnaires, most notably because they are in a M.V.S.N. Speciality. Part-time (cadre) Legionnaires are Agents of Judicial Police oonly when on duty.
The Forestry Cadre Legionnaire provides the Nation of his spare time in the education measures, environmental protection, information, prevention and vigilance. Part-time personnel is drawn from forestry workers and technicians, as well as from sympathizers and environmental activists. Every licensed hunter has the duty to serve in the Forestry Militia: two days a month, two weeks a year.
The Forestry Cadre Legionnaire is a volunteer public official who proceeds to the finding of unlawful administrative penalties for infringement. When expressly prescribed by law, the Forestry Cadre Legionnaire exercises the functions of an Agent of Judicial Police.
The Forestry Cadre Legionnaire, in its assessment activities, has the power to identify people, something that an ordinary citizen or a simple private guard cannot do.
The Forestry Cadre Legionnaire can and sometimes must undertake precautionary seizures: a measure by which a person is deprived of the possession of a thing of his property in order to have a proof of the violation committed.
There are four steps to take before an ordinary Cadre Legionnaire can be fully a Forestry Cadre Legionnaire: attending the course of training and apprenticeship, passing the exam, issuing the Decree of Ecological and Environmental Sworn Guard decree by the Prefect. After taking the oath before the local Legion Commander the Forestry Cadre Legionnaire is entitled to discharge his duties.
According to 2019 data, there are 6870 Cadre Legionaries, of which:
- 325 Officers;
- 6545 Subofficers and troops.