Stop Polizia!

We are the police!

Here's a typical Italian police car - this one belongs to the Polizia Municipale, Palermo branch parked on via Maqueda in the heart of the city. You might perhaps expect Italian police cars to be Fiats but no - this one's a Renault. Police cars are generally the only cars to be seen with no dents

We'll protect you.

But then what's this parked a few yards away? These are the civil defence guys, their remit, according to Wikipedia is the prediction, prevention and management of exceptional events. We used to have a civil defence corps in the UK but this was disbanded in 1968. (Just as I became old enough to join!)

Smart car!

But aren't the police in Italy called carabinieri? Yes that's right but these police are a division of the army. They are the equivalent of the French gendarmes and they have nicer cars! They played a significant role in suppressing the Mafia in Sicily since they don't have local connections.

We'll always catch you!

And of course if you're going to get pulled over while speeding (which we never saw happen to any of the Italians who went flying past us at well over 100 mph), it will be by a fast blue car (often with Polizia Stradale written on the side.) They're not all Lamborghinis by the way!

We're the tree police!

And we're just some local police!

The prison police!

The financial police get involved with everything!