Verona Riviera Mayors Seek Summer Police Presence on Lake Garda
Starting from Torri, the request for an meeting between the riviera mayors and Prefect Gaetano Santoro is underway to secure, during the summer of two thousand, the summer seat of the Police. In a few days, «as soon as we have collected all the approvals», as announced from the municipal office, the proposal for a meeting involving all the mayors of the Veronese Riviera — Malcesine, Brenzone, Torri, Garda, Bardolino, Lazise, Casteinuovo, and Peschiera — with the Prefect and the new Questore Zingales, will be submitted, along with a «motion» to bring back, at least in the summer period, a police station on the lake.
Situation of the Police Command and Lake Security
Last year, after the successful experiences of previous seasons in which officers stationed in Bardolino achieved significant results, the summer police command in Bardolino was inexplicably closed. Initially, there was talk of staffing shortages, which, for operational reasons, would have led to deployment at other locations considered more «at risk» in the Garda area. Later, other «truths» emerged, much more aligned with the reality of the situation, revealed by the authorities responsible for police oversight, claiming that there was in fact no real intention to re-establish a police command on Lake Garda.
What is certain is that, last year, the police command in Bardolino was not reinstated, and «the presence of the Carabinieri in the territory was instead increased», as explained by the mayor of Torri, Alberto Vedovelli, the promoter of this initiative. However, this situation was poorly tolerated by all tourism operators and residents of the lakeside towns, who, with two police patrols active twenty-four hours a day, felt very well protected.
«Presence in the area», Vedovelli continued, «is certainly important and in itself acts as an effective deterrent to committing crimes. That’s why it’s crucial for us that, during peak tourist periods like summer, law enforcement forces are on hand to assist the Carabinieri commands and the municipal police of each town. Only this collaboration can provide better guarantees for all citizens and our guests».
This led to the idea of discussing in advance, or better, in time, the security issues for Lake Garda.
Moreover, beyond the request for a summer police command, during the meeting with the prefect and the questore, another longstanding problem will also be addressed: the permanent closure of the Gardesana road for heavy vehicles. The issue of trucks rushing along Gardesana, just meters from the beaches, has been repeatedly debated through words and annual meetings seeking «permanent solutions». However, the problem is regularly «bypassed» with transit bans issued by each town from March to the end of October each year.
Indeed, just a few days ago, the Torri municipal council approved a resolution prohibiting transit on Gardesana for vehicles exceeding seven and a half tons in weight. So far, besides the Municipality of Torri, which initiated the request for a meeting with the prefect to address safety issues, the document has also been signed by «Garda, Peschiera, and Castelnuovo», as the mayor of Torri stated.
«In the near future», he concluded, «I hope to meet with the senior officials of the law enforcement forces to reach a significant result».
