Florence’s Heightened Summer Security

 

As the days grow longer and temperatures soar, Florence officials have opted to step up nighttime summer security, stationing police-affiliated personnel in popular nightlife areas and hiring private security to curb break-ins and vandals at local businesses. 

Theft, robbery, assault and drug dealing tend to increase with the influx of tourists during the summer months, and disruptive behavior in bustling nightlife squares is not uncommon. To combat the rise in crime and promote public order and safety, the city of Florence hired 200 municipal police officers. However, the police officers, were slated are to arrive in increments — 30 in 2023, 70 in 2024 and 100 in 2025 — which has led to the development of other security measures in the meantime.

Knights of nightlife

The resurgence of summer nightlife in Florence coincides with the return of the stewards, a group of 24 security officials aiming to prevent public disturbances and fend off crime in some of the city’s busiest squares. 

The service’s third year, which began on April 6 and will extend to January 6, 2025, will see stewards working outside of nightclubs and other establishments from 10:30 pm to 2:30 amS on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Stewards will be stationed primarily in the neighborhoods of Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, Sant’Ambrogio, and Borgo La Croce-Pietrapiana up to the area of piazza dei Ciompi. There will also be stewards located in and around Palazzo Vecchio, in piazza Dalmazia, piazza Isolotto, piazza Dalla Piccola, San Jacopino and in the areas between via il Prato, via Gabbuggiani, la Leopolda and the nearby via del Caravaggio and Piazza Matas depending on need, too.

Backing businesses

In addition to the stewards, which are meant to protect tourists, visitors and Florentines alike, the city of Florence has also employed 10 private security cars from different companies to patrol the streets and look out for local businesses at night.

Starting May 20 and lasting six months long, security will patrol the streets from 11 pm to 6 am in the historic center and in areas like San Jacopino, Novoli, Piazza PierVettori and Piazza Dalmazia. Organized by a collaboration between Confesercenti and Confcommercio, both of which are associations of shop owners, private security companies like Corpo Vigilante Giurati SpA, Security Guard, Issv Puma, Rangers and Tecnica Vigilanza will operate under the supervision of the Sworn Policemen “to guarantee the safety of businesses and citizens in a city with a very high concentration of tourism like Florence,” Santino Cannamela, the Florentine president of Confesercenti, said in an article.

This initiative follows a series of break-ins at various locations across downtown Florence last year. Some locations affected include a pastry shop on via Scialoia, a pizzeria and cocktail bar on viale Amendola in addition to the pizza and sandwich shop Ti Stuzzico on Borgo degli Albizi, all of which awoke to shattered windows. Ti Stuzzico, specifically, reported a stolen cash machine, as well.

“After the hiring of 200 municipal police officers and stewards, with this further project, while waiting for the government to strike a blow and send the missing policemen, we keep our promises and demonstrate concreteness and attention to the need for safety of those he works and lives in Florence,” the Councilor for Production Activities Giovanni Bettarini and the Councilor for Security Benedetta Albanese added in the same article.