PIAZZE - Regional prevention operation against home burglaries

The crime rates in the City of Lugano alone and in the other municipalities of the region are almost identical, but in absolute terms, a higher number of home burglaries is recorded in these municipalities compared to the city.

Thieves do not distinguish between rich and poor but choose their targets based on the lack of security of the structures (residences), the vulnerability of the target, and their own motivation.

The Municipal Police Forces of the Lugano Region, including the Police Forces of the municipalities of Capriasca, Ceresio Nord, Medio Vedeggio, Paradiso, Collina d'Oro, ABM-Agno Bioggio Manno, Caslano, and Lugano, under the coordination of the Command of the Polizia Città di Lugano, launched the "PIAZZE" operation in June 2014.

This initiative is a widespread and community-based prevention campaign against home burglaries, taking place in all the squares of the region's municipalities. The explicit goal is to increase the citizens' self-protection capabilities while simultaneously enhancing both their objective security and their subjective sense of security.

In practical terms, the communal police officers of the various corps manned the scheduled meeting points, where they met with citizens, using clear information brochures and security checklists.

Advice, explanations, and consultations were provided. In a second phase, police officers made themselves available for on-site inspections with homeowners at their residences to jointly assess the security status of their homes.