"Road safety and dignity at work, an absolute priority." With this slogan, traffic police officers, supported by the Silp Cgil union, will gather tomorrow, November 6th, at 11 a.m., in front of the Cagliari Prefecture for a regional demonstration to draw attention to the difficult conditions police officers work in and the lack of resources that jeopardizes safety on Sardinia's roads.
The initiative, promoted by the Regional Secretariat of the SIL Cgil Sardinia together with the provincial secretariats of Cagliari, Nuoro, Oristano, and Sassari, is part of a broader national mobilization.
At the end of the demonstration, a union delegation will meet with the prefect of Cagliari to deliver a document containing the union's demands, while in the other provincial capitals, the provincial secretariats have sent similar notes electronically to their respective prefects.
At the heart of the protests are unsustainable workloads, grueling shifts, and increasingly limited resources for a service that remains essential to citizen safety.
"It is unacceptable that traffic police officers are left alone, with reduced staff and insufficient resources to ensure effective territorial control," declared Alessandro Cosso, regional secretary of Silp Cgil Sardinia, together with provincial secretaries Riccardo Mastino (Cagliari) and William Abis (Nuoro).
The union is calling for increased staffing, an increase in patrols, especially on rural roads, and more equitable compensation, with particular attention to the highway allowance. In Sardinia, Silp CGIL representatives explain, the traffic police force has just 295 officers, both male and female, including regular and technical roles, a number deemed insufficient to ensure effective policing of the region.
Alongside demands regarding personnel, the union also emphasizes protecting the health and physical and mental well-being of officers , who are often exposed to high levels of stress and risk. During the demonstration, off-duty officers distributed flyers to citizens explaining the reasons for the protest and raising public awareness of the value of their work.
"We're not asking for privileges, but respect for those who risk their lives every day to ensure the lives of others," Cosso reiterated.