Piedmont bill would fund towns that support residents' neighbourhood watch groups

Claudio Sacchetto, a Fratelli d'Italia regional councillor in Piedmont, has presented a regional bill to fund municipalities where residents' neighbourhood watch groups are active. Grants would cover information campaigns, training and identifying materials such as signs and vests. Groups would be limited to participation, prevention and reporting, coordinated with police and prefectures. Sacchetto said neighbourhood watch "does not mean creating a parallel police force". Separately, Fratelli d'Italia councillors tabled a €900,000 budget amendment to strengthen local police.

Italy's Constitutional Court struck down a Veneto neighbourhood watch law in 2020. Piedmont's bill routes money through municipalities and requires groups to coordinate with state police and prefectures. Governments weighing citizen roles in policing can watch whether modest grants widen coverage without blurring the line between volunteers and police. The open question is how much money the region will commit.