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| Italy pledges to bolster security | Italy pledges to bolster security |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Italy's interior minister has said he will take immediate action to tackle the country's "security emergency". | Italy's interior minister has said he will take immediate action to tackle the country's "security emergency". |
| Roberto Maroni, who belongs to the anti-immigrant Northern League, pledged to bolster the resources available for Italy's police and security services. | Roberto Maroni, who belongs to the anti-immigrant Northern League, pledged to bolster the resources available for Italy's police and security services. |
| He said "firm measures" were needed to renew police trust and avoid people taking matters into their own hands. | He said "firm measures" were needed to renew police trust and avoid people taking matters into their own hands. |
| Earlier this week people in Naples set fire to makeshift homes of Roma - or Gypsy - families, forcing them to flee. | Earlier this week people in Naples set fire to makeshift homes of Roma - or Gypsy - families, forcing them to flee. |
| The eruption of violence followed a report that a Roma girl allegedly attempted to kidnap an Italian baby. | The eruption of violence followed a report that a Roma girl allegedly attempted to kidnap an Italian baby. |
| "It is time to intervene with force to prevent anger taking over... and to avoid episodes of the unjustifiable violence that we saw in Naples," Mr Maroni said. | "It is time to intervene with force to prevent anger taking over... and to avoid episodes of the unjustifiable violence that we saw in Naples," Mr Maroni said. |
| Crackdown | Crackdown |
| The minister added that the country "demands immediate and efficient answers from all political forces... working together to resolve the problems afflicting our communities". | The minister added that the country "demands immediate and efficient answers from all political forces... working together to resolve the problems afflicting our communities". |
| A Roma camp was set alight on the outskirts of Naples earlier this week | A Roma camp was set alight on the outskirts of Naples earlier this week |
| The government is also considering replacing single police officers with teams of security officials - including soldiers - to patrol the streets, according to Italian newspaper reports. | The government is also considering replacing single police officers with teams of security officials - including soldiers - to patrol the streets, according to Italian newspaper reports. |
| Italy's foreign minister said on Friday that tougher controls were needed at borders. | |
| Franco Frattini said that people from countries that do not form part of the Schengen agreement - which allows passport-free movement between 24 European countries - should be digitally fingerprinted on entry to the EU and their details held on a database. | |
| "A continuous inspection of [the EU's] exterior borders is necessary," Mr Frattini, the former EU Justice Commissioner, is quoted as telling Italian newspapers. | |
| Policy shift | |
| The comments from both ministers come a day after Italian authorities announced that they had arrested nearly 400 suspected illegal immigrants during a week-long series of raids across the country. | |
| The police crackdown took place in the capital, Rome, as well as Naples and northern Italian cities. | The police crackdown took place in the capital, Rome, as well as Naples and northern Italian cities. |
| Makeshift camps housing Roma, in both Rome and Naples were targeted and immigrants from Romania, but also Albania, Greece, China and Morocco, were arrested. | Makeshift camps housing Roma, in both Rome and Naples were targeted and immigrants from Romania, but also Albania, Greece, China and Morocco, were arrested. |
| The move is an apparent sign of the change of policy promised by the new right-wing government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. | The move is an apparent sign of the change of policy promised by the new right-wing government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. |
| On Thursday, Mr Maroni sought to reassure his Romanian counterpart that Italy was not unfairly discriminating against Romanians. | On Thursday, Mr Maroni sought to reassure his Romanian counterpart that Italy was not unfairly discriminating against Romanians. |
| "There is no problem with the Romanian community," he said, adding that the government would focus only on: "those who commit crimes, regardless of their citizenship". | "There is no problem with the Romanian community," he said, adding that the government would focus only on: "those who commit crimes, regardless of their citizenship". |