Thirty-six schools and nearly 10,000 students from the province participated in the ninth edition of the "Demanding Legality" project, an initiative of the State Police and the Police Headquarters, presented yesterday in the Auditorium of the Devilla Technical Center in Sassari. The various educational programs implemented during the 2025-26 school year saw officers meet with students and discuss issues of legality, road and cyber safety, gender violence, and inclusion.
Through ad hoc seminars, the focus was on highly relevant issues for young people: proper internet use and cybersecurity, the risks associated with alcohol and drug abuse, and road safety.
As Virginia Martinazzi, the director of the Flying Squad and coordinator of the work, pointed out, awareness-raising also focused on the issues of bullying and cyberbullying.
"The emergency exists for children," says Anna Maria Massenti, director of the Sixth Office of the Sardinian School Board. "Communication channels are increasingly invasive of their private lives." She oversees the schools of nearly 70 cities and towns. "However, we see a great deal of attention from teachers and administrators to ensure that children are guided towards the right path." And while there are legality representatives in schools, the director acknowledges that, she emphasizes, "the perspective of law enforcement is privileged, and they understand how things unfold, identifying concrete dangers."
A significant risk arises from the long-standing school dropout rate that plagues Sardinia, often the result of social marginalization that is being addressed. These borderline situations are also present in Sassari, where, recently, the State Police had to intervene to "bust" a youth gang involved in theft and violence against peers and even adults.
"There's a certain reawakening of these juvenile phenomena," says Sassari Police Chief Filiberto Mastrapasqua. However, I would like to point out that this isn't a police issue. We need to be more aware of the critical issues that younger generations are raising. I don't think Sassari is in a critical situation, but it's a phenomenon that needs to be monitored." The Police Chief then urged students to "live by the rules to develop their community."
