Road police services are carried out by various state authorities, each with specific responsibilities. The primary role is assigned to the Traffic Police, which is the specialized branch of the State Police responsible for road traffic control. However, other police forces are also involved, such as the State Police, the Carabinieri, and the Financial Police.
At the local level, provincial and municipal police also perform road police duties, but only within their territorial jurisdiction. In addition, certain functions may be carried out by officials of the Ministry of the Interior and by other bodies such as the prison police and the forestry corps, when related to their institutional duties.
Not only traditional police forces can carry out these activities. Other personnel, if properly qualified and after passing a specific exam, may also perform control and prevention tasks. These include, for example, inspectors and technicians from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, ANAS personnel, and employees of local authorities responsible for road management. Their powers are limited to the roads or areas under their responsibility.
Some categories of personnel operate in specific contexts. For example, railway personnel may intervene at level crossings, while airport personnel operate in airport areas. Port authority personnel may also act within their areas of competence.
Regarding traffic safety, escort services can also be performed by specially authorized personnel, especially in the case of exceptional transport. In such cases, they must comply with all conditions set in the authorization and cooperate with police authorities.
The armed forces may also intervene, particularly to ensure the safe movement of military convoys, through specially qualified personnel.
Finally, when these subjects operate without a uniform, they must use an official identification sign. This ensures that road users can clearly recognize them as competent authorities.
๐ Read the official text of Art. 12 on the ACI portal (Italian)
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