Costa Concordia salvage: the police action

Essential policing activities have been carried out to ensure the success of the Costa Concordia salvage operation, aside from the technical and engineering efforts to set the cruise ship completely upright.

The law enforcement activity has been directed at implementing a detailed security plan to protect residents, along with journalists, technicians, and tourists crowding the island.

A composite operations center was set up to cope with emergencies and critical situations, as well as to ensure coordination between the various stakeholders in the safe salvage operation of the wreck.

The port area and the ferryboat ticket offices of Porto Santo Stefano (parking areas included) were closely monitored by the police to prevent disorders, considering the huge number of incoming people and vehicles. The same measures were taken at the port of the Giglio Island, also considering the limitations to road access.

The extraordinary nature of this event, which has been widely covered by the media internationally, brought a thousand journalists to the island from more than 400 newspapers and TV networks.

To check the access to the port area, a total of 80 law enforcement officers were employed from the Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, Corpo Forestale and Provincial police, in collaboration with the Municipal police of the Giglio Island and volunteers of the Civil Protection.

Checks were also carried out by patrol vessels of the Polizia di Sato, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza, in order to avoid trespassing by unauthorized boats.

The area was guarded from helicopters of the Polizia di Stato and Carabinieri, both transmitting live images to the operations centre for any emergencies.

Italian