Crime in Italy

Crime in Italy happens in many ways. The country is known for its organized crime groups, called the Mafia. These groups are famous and do many illegal things.

Because of this, financial crimes like corruption and stealing are common in Italy. But violent crimes, like hurting others, are very rare. In 2021, Italy had a low rate of serious violent crimes, lower than most other countries in Europe. Only small places like Vatican City and San Marino had fewer. This shows Italy is a relatively safe place compared to many others.

Description

Overview

Italy has more police officers than many other European countries. But crime can be different in different parts of Italy. The south often sees more organized crime, while the north usually has less. Immigration has also changed crime patterns, with many newcomers living in the north.

Law Enforcement and Justice System

Italy works to keep communities safe with several main police groups, including the Carabinieri, the State Police, and the Financial Guard. Italy has made changes to its prisons to help inmates. New rules help prison staff support prisoners as they rebuild their lives.

Crime by type

Homicide and Assault

In the 1990s, Italy had between 1.4 and 2.8 murders for every 100,000 people. By the 2000s, this number fell to between 1.31 and 0.98 per 100,000 people. From 2010 to 2020, the number dropped even more, to between 0.93 and 0.67 murders per 100,000 people. Over the last ten years, the number of murders in Italy has gone down a lot. Today, the rate is about 0.6 murders per 100,000 people. In one year, from August 2018 to July 2019, there were only 307 murders. The next year, from August 2020 to July 2021, there were 276 murders, which is a big decrease.

Organized crime

Organized crime affects many people and parts of the economy in Italy. Some important leaders have been looked at for possible links to these groups.

There are four big organized crime groups that have been powerful in Italy for a long time: Cosa Nostra, Camorra, Apulian Organized Crime and 'Ndrangheta. The 'Ndrangheta has become very rich by dealing in drugs across many countries. These groups are known around the world and affect many businesses and jobs.

There has been a big drop in murders linked to these groups. In 2020, there were only 28 murders tied to organized crime, much less than before.

Financial Crime and Corruption

Main article: Corruption in Italy

Cheating and fraud are big problems in Italy, happening in many parts of the economy. Big examples include the Parmalat collapse in the early 2000s and the Lockheed bribery scandal in the 1970s.

A study in 2020 looked at Italy’s laws against corruption. The study suggests that while making more laws against crime helps, it’s also important to improve ethics in public behavior.

Drug-Related Crimes

Italy is an important place for illegal drugs to enter Europe. Drugs come from many places, like South America for cocaine, Southeast Asia and Afghanistan for heroin, and Europe for cannabis.

A survey found that many Italians had tried illegal drugs at least once. Italy has fewer deaths from drug use each year than many other countries. Most of these deaths happened in Northern Italy, with some in Central Italy and the rest in Southern Italy and the islands.

A study looked at new illegal drugs caught by police. It found that many of these drugs were sold online and did not have correct labels, showing the need for better rules to keep people safe.

Crime by region

Southern Italy

Southern Italy has fewer crimes overall than Northern Italy. But some places like Campania, Sicily, and Calabria sometimes have unfair business practices and pressure from organized groups. Even though some northern cities also have these problems, places like Naples can have more serious issues.

Sicily

In Sicily, a well-known group has been part of the area's history. Movies sometimes show this in an exciting way, but most people, including tourists, are safe and unlikely to have trouble. Violent crimes are very rare; Sicily has one of the lowest numbers of serious crimes in Italy and the world. However, smaller crimes like cheating and stealing can happen. Many businesses in Sicily are pressured to pay extra money to these groups, which takes a lot from the economy.

Central and Northern Italy

Central and Northern Italy are often thought to be safer than the south by visitors. But some northern cities like Milan and Florence have had more crimes recently. Other areas such as Tuscany have fewer crimes. The north usually has less unfair business pressure and cheating than the south.

Rome

Rome has a very low number of serious crimes, with just a small number per 100,000 people, which is still lower than many big cities in Europe. Like the rest of Italy, small crimes such as stealing and car theft happen more often than violent crimes.