Valtenesi Launches Security Project to Combat Crime with Public-Private Partnership

The “security project” of the seven municipalities of Valtenesi is finally about to become a reality. Launched more than a year ago and quickly gaining national media attention (from Rai 2 and 3 and Canale 5 news programs to newspapers like Corriere della Sera and Repubblica), the initiative will be officially launched on Monday, September 24th, with a ceremony at the Manerba town hall. Here, the Prefect of Brescia, Anna Maria Cancellieri, and the mayors of Valtenesi will sign a memorandum of understanding representing the first example of an agreement signed by representatives of the central state and local municipalities on a sensitive issue such as the fight against common crime. The agreement will authorize the state authorities to implement an unprecedented synergy between public and private forces for the control of a specific portion of territory.

The central authority also commits to supporting the project by providing municipal police forces with essential information necessary to carry out their duties, along with a collaborative relationship with law enforcement agencies. The goal is to eliminate criminal forces that have become a nightmare for many residents over the past few months, especially homeowners of houses and villas located in isolated areas. Regarding the fact that the targets are primarily fierce gangs continuing to terrorize much of Northern Italy—among the costliest for Brescia—there is little doubt: the Valtenesi project aims to respond to this emergency with a specialized service.

Project Details and Implementation

The project, which aims to enhance territorial control for the benefit of the entire Valtenesi community and allows private citizens to improve their personal security if they wish, involves 24-hour patrols across the entire territory. Each municipality will allocate six working hours per day for each urban police officer. In total, the Valtenesi area has 21 officers, a force that will be reinforced by 12 external officers under agreement who have chosen to join the project, all operating under the Manerba Command (open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.).

The officers will also be active during nighttime hours, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., conducting usual patrol operations on streets and among residents. Additionally, they will be continuously connected to a command center located at the Manerba municipal police headquarters, which is linked to all households participating in the security project by installing alarm systems based on a simple yet sophisticated GSM technology.

In case of a breach at one of the connected homes, the system will send SMS messages both to the owner’s mobile phone and to the operational center, indicating the exact location of the unauthorized access. The center will immediately alert the patrol on duty: thanks to the institutional protocol signed with the Prefecture, the municipal patrol will notify other law enforcement agencies (police, carabinieri, financial police), which can potentially send support units.

Private users installing the alarm system will also be provided with a personal remote control, allowing them to activate the alarm at the center in case of threat or danger. Finally, a toll-free number will be available through which all residents of Valtenesi can contact the patrol directly for intervention requests or to report dangerous situations.

So far, the project has been signed by 400 private individuals, who contribute to financing it alongside a couple of sponsors. The official start is scheduled for the end of October, when all municipal councils will approve the agreement signed in Manerba, to be officially signed on Monday.