Corps of Penitentiary Police (Kingdom of Italy)

Corps of Penitentiary Police
Corps of Penitentiary Police
Corpo della Polizia Penitenziaria
	CoA of the Corps of Penitentiary Police
Active	1991 - present
Country	Kingdom of Italy
Type	Prison police
Size	50,500
Part of	Ministry of Grace and Justice
Garrison/HQ	Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Motto(s)	Despondere Spem Munus Nostrum
Colors	Azure
Anniversaries	18 May 1817; (establishment of Corps of Custodial Agents)
Commanders
Director General of Preventive and Penitentiary Institutions	Adelindo Bronzetti
Deputy Commander of the Corps	Federica Oleandri

The Corps of Penitentiary Police is a military corps with police duties of the Kingdom of Italy, dependent on the Directorate General of the Preventive and Penitentiary Institutions of the Ministry of Grace and Justice. The number of Agents belonging to the Corps is 50,500, including both men and women.

Officers of the Corps are Officers of Public Security and Officers of Judicial Police; subofficers, graduates, and agents are Agents of Public Security; subofficers are also Officers of Judicial Police; graduates and agents are Agents of Judicial Police.

Mission

The Corps of Penitentiary Police mainly carries out the task of managing persons detained or in a state of restraint or restriction of personal freedom. This includes, through specialised branches, psychological and educational activity in cooperation with other personnel of the Ministry of Grace and Justice. The Corps also carries out traffic police duties, participates in the maintenance of public order (on request of the local Prefect), carries out judicial police and public security activities (also outside the prison facilities) and carries out activities to protect the Minister of Grace and Justice, the Undersecretaries of State and magistrates.
The Corps of Penitentiary Police guarantees the enforcement of restrictive measures of personal freedom, guarantees public order and security protection within penitentiary institutions, participates in the activities of observing and treating prisoners; in addition, The Corps performs public security services, as well as the relocation activities and, in the case of hospitalization, it carries out the surveillance service. The Corps of Penitentiary Police also contributes to inter-agency investigative bodies.

Organization

The Corps of Penitentiary Police is structurally framed within the Directorate General of the Preventive and Penitentiary Institutions; Division II - Custody personnel functions as its central command organization, although also Division V - Training handles fundamental tasks of the Corps. Within each Interregional Directorate there is the Interregional Command, which directly handles all penitentiary institutions within its boundary. Aside of the Interregional Commands, the Corps has 15 nation-wide Services, centrally directed:

Naval Service;
Transfers and Surveillance Service;
Psychological Service;
Medical Service;
Educative Service;
Mobile Operational Group (G.O.M.)
K9 Service;
Horse Service;
Escort Service;
Central Investigation Squad;
Airport Service
Personal Security and Security Office
Telecommunications Service;
Music band of the Corps of Penitentiary Police;
Regional Operational Groups;
Regional Operations Centres;
National Operations Centre;
Traffic Police Service.

Transfers and Surveillance Service

The Transfers and Surveillance Service (Servizio Traduzioni e Sorveglianza) houses and transports all prisoners not subject to military custody from the time they enter into custody until they are either acquitted or convicted and delivered to their designated facility.
The Transfers and Surveillance Service supports the judiciary through its scheduling and transportation responsibilities. The Service transports sentenced prisoners who are in the custody of the Directorate General of Preventive and Penitentiary Institutions as well as to hearings, court appearances and detention facilities. A network of aircraft, cars, vans and buses accomplishes coordinated movements.

Mobile Operational Group

The Mobile Operational Group (Gruppo Operativo Mobile, G.O.M.) is a mobile unit of the Penitentiary Police Corps at the Battalion level (Group). The G.O.M. is the elite of the prison police corps. It responds directly to the Director-General of Preventive and Penitentiary Institutions.
The G.O.M. is made up almost exclusively by personnel of the Penitentiary Police, although it can count on a minimum amount of administrative-accounting personnel: it consists of approximately 800 units located in 12 operating departments throughout Italy; the staff is not fixed on a site, but rotates every four months, for security reasons. The G.O.M. is headed by a Lieutenant Colonel even if, in particular situations, the Chief of the Penitentiary Police Corps can dispose of the unit directly.
The G.O.M. provides for the custody and control of highly dangerous detainees or subjected to hard prison regimes, as well as some detainee collaborators of justice. The G.O.M. is also responsible for restoring order and security in prison, where there is no need for the intervention of the police special forces. If requested, the Group intervenes in riot control operations, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies. The functions of the G.O.M. are to provide for the custody service of prisoners subjected to the prison, to maintain order and discipline in prisons, with priority being given to interventions during prison revolts; moreover the G.O.M. is committed to ensuring the security of transfers of high-risk prisoners, including videoconferencing processes. Finally the G.O.M. provides escort to personnel exposed to particular personal risk situations. As an additional task, it also has functions of surveillance and protection of highly dangerous prisoners.
The Group's operational methods are often very harsh: in every intervention heavy beatings and brutal searches of cells occur. In the case of major events and demonstrations, they manage the collection point of those arrested: they often practice light torture on prisoners. If necessary, they illegally check lawyers' talks with inmates.
The military of the G.O.M. they are covered by the utmost impunity because they do not respond to their actions either to the prison director or to the Penitentiary Police commander of the individual penitentiary institution in which they intervene, and enjoy the authorization to intervene directly by the minister.

Personal Security and Security Office

The Personal Security and Security Office (Ufficio Sicurezza Personale e Generale, U.S.Pe.G.) is in charge of the general competence in the field of protection and surveillance services carried out by the Penitentiary Police. The Office assists in the collection and dissemination of intelligence received from inmates, civilian staff and other sources. The U.S.Pe.G. collects this information, reviews it for validity, and then forwards it to the appropriate authority (internal or external) for further action. In some cases, this involves the partnering with other institutions and other police forces and security organisations. The U.S.Pe.G. has been extremely successful in utilizing inmates as sources of information and confidential informants concerning both internal and external threat priorities. The Office is divided into three Units:

Unit I - Security of the Ministry: based at the Ministry of Grace and Justice, the Unit protects the ministerial headquarters and carries out the protection of the Minister, of the State Undersecretaries and other personalities subject to protection measures.
Unit II - Security of central organs: at the Directorate General of Preventive and Penitentiary Institutions, with duties of supervision, surveillance and control of the structures dependent on the Ministry, as well as security of the people who operate and access them.
Unit III - Prison Intelligence: the Prison Intelligence Unit is the intelligence agency of the Ministry of Grace and Justice. Its mission is the fight against terrorism and organized crime and the reinforcement of penitentiary security. The Unit collects and exploits intelligence related to counter-terrorism, to the fight against organized crime and to the strengthening of penitentiary security (including the prevention of riots and escapes).

Office and Units Commanders are chosen among the Corps Officers, while Units personnel may also be civilians. Unit III is the point of contact of the intelligence community.

Ranks and insignia

Corps of Penitentiary Police officers ranks and insignia
Royal Police Corps rank	Sottotenente	Tenente	Capitano	Maggiore	Tenente Colonnello	Colonnello	Brigadier Generale	Maggior Generale
English translation	Under Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Captain	Major	Lieutenant Colonel	Colonel	Brigadier General	Major General
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Sottotenente	Tenente	Capitano	Maggiore	Tenente Colonnello	Colonnello	Generale di Brigata	Generale di Divisione
Corresponding Army rank (UK)	Second Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Captain	Major	Lieutenant Colonel	Colonel	Brigadier	Major General
Shoulder board insignia

Penitentiary Police military Subofficers ranks and insignia
Corps of Penitentiary Police	Maresciallo di P.P.	Maresciallo Capo di P.P.	Maresciallo Maggiore di P.P.
English translation	Marshal of Penitentiary Police	Chief Marshal of Penitentiary Police	Marshal Major of Penitentiary Police
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Maresciallo	Maresciallo Capo	Maresciallo Maggiore
Corresponding Army rank (UK)	Warrant Officer Class Two	Warrant Officer Second Class	Warrant Officer First Class
Shoulder board insignia

Penitentiary Police military Enlisted ranks and insignia
Royal Police Corps rank	Agente	Agente Scelto	Appuntato	Appuntato Capo	Vicebrigadiere	Brigadiere
English translation	Agent	Agent First Class	Appointee	Chief Appointee	Deputy Sergeant	Sergeant
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Soldato	Caporale	Caporale maggiore	Caporale Capo	Sergente	Sergente Maggiore
Corresponding Army rank (UK)	Private	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Staff Sergeant	Staff Sergeant (senior echelon)
Sleeve insignia	No insignia
Shoulder board insignia