Italy faces police staffing shortages and No Tav protests

The SILP CGIL union has announced a mobilization for October 7, 2026, to protest critical staffing shortages within the Italian State Police. The protest, which includes a demonstration in Rome at Piazza Montecitorio and presence at various prefectures, seeks the immediate activation of a ranking list for 411 Vice Inspectors. General Secretary Pietro Colapietro stated that the police force currently faces a deficit of over 13,000 units, a gap expected to widen due to approximately 5,000 annual retirements that are not being offset by new hires.

Colapietro emphasized that while recent recruitment has focused on Agents and Assistants, the role of Inspectors—essential for investigations and coordinating the fight against organized crime—is being neglected. The union warns that failing to strengthen this role reduces the strategic and investigative capacity of the police.

In a separate development, No Tav protesters marched from Sant’Ambrogio to Avigliana in the province of Turin to demand the halting of the Turin-Lyon railway project. The demonstration drew criticism from Forza Italia and Fratelli d’Italia, who accused opposition political figures, including members of the Movimento 5 Stelle and the Democratic Party, of marching alongside radical groups that have previously engaged in violence and insulted law enforcement officers.