"Who's in charge at the Monastir CAS? Who's the boss?" These questions open a document drafted by Flavio Tuzi, national secretary of the police union Anip-Italia Sicura, which aims to shine a spotlight on the facility in the province of Cagliari, which houses approximately 700 foreigners.
A phenomenon is emerging that, if confirmed, would be disturbing. This is why we are calling for "zero tolerance against those who exploit and oppress the most vulnerable," who include migrants. The premise is: "We support the integration of honest migrants who work, respect the rules, and want to build a future for themselves in our country. Precisely for this reason, absolute firmness is essential against those who, taking advantage of the reception system, exploit, intimidate, and enslave the most vulnerable."
Tuzi speaks of "bosses" and "gangs" who, taking advantage of the lack of control during the evening hours, "can establish themselves within the CAS and transform it into a base of power, intimidation, and even terrorist recruitment. So far, they've already opened two bazaars, where everything is sold."
Then another question: "Who really supervises the facility after 5 p.m., when security is lacking and the center risks becoming a no-man's land?"
The document, which accompanies a letter sent to Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi requesting reinforcements, questions whether "there is a new organization taking root among asylum seekers that could fuel crime, exploitation, and even potential areas of radicalization."
The recently released guidelines for the Hot Spot are considered insufficient: "It is necessary to immediately clarify the rules of engagement for the approximately 12 law enforcement officers who patrol the entire site. Currently, these are left with overly simplistic instructions, limited to referring to a single officer on duty who, moreover, isn't even present on site, while there are currently more than 700 people inside the entire facility."
Bars and other weapons were recently found inside the CAS: "We need," the union explains, "immediately strengthened controls and a real state presence, especially in the evening hours, when the risk of infiltration and the imposition of parallel rules increases."
Below is the letter sent to Piantedosi
Cagliari Mobile Unit Operational and Staffing Emergency – Urgent Request for New Reassignments.
The media and political coverage of recent days, culminating in national television reports and a specific parliamentary question, has definitively established the gravity and unsustainability of the security situation in Cagliari, particularly regarding the newly established Monastir Hotspot. However, structural issues are dramatically impacting the health and functionality of the local Mobile Unit staff, which has reached a breaking point, supported by irrefutable data. This National Secretariat firmly denounces the state of utter exhaustion experienced by the operators. Faced with an enormous and ever-increasing workload, the current staffing is completely inadequate. Staff are forced to work grueling shifts, sometimes involving multiple night shifts within a few days, making it virtually impossible to comply with the minimum rest periods required by current regulations. The "stopgap" policy adopted by this Ministry in recent years, characterized by the assignment of personnel close to retirement, is no longer tolerable. These assignments, despite the best intentions of individuals, inevitably come to nothing within a few months due to the natural retirements, leaving the Department constantly at a standstill. At the same time, the ministerial decision to remove additional resources from the Mobile Unit to temporarily assign colleagues to the Police Headquarters, depriving the Department of resources precisely at the moment of greatest management emergency, seems completely incomprehensible and paradoxical. For these reasons, this National Secretariat calls for immediate and structural intervention that includes:
• The urgent dispatch of AT LEAST twenty (20) young operators to be assigned to the Mobile Unit of Cagliari, thus guaranteeing fresh forces, operational continuity and an adequate capacity to respond to the heavy demands of the territory.
• Immediately revoke the assignments of Department colleagues to the Police Headquarters, in order to focus all available resources on managing the critical issues at the Hotspot and other public order services. State Police personnel have always demonstrated a spirit of sacrifice, but the dignity of their work and the safety of their operators cannot be used as a bargaining chip to compensate for organizational delays and failed strategic decisions. We await urgent and effective feedback.
