Protests, how many are there and how old are the agents of the Mobile Police Department?

The days of unrest and violence in Milan have put the mobile units of the police deployed to contain acts of vandalism to the test. And the number of agents deployed was also at the center of a heated controversy between Mayor Sala and Interior Minister Piantedosi. This was also discussed in the October 19th episode of Numeri, an in-depth analysis by Sky TG24.

But how many men and women are employed in the anti-riot units? The officers on duty at the State Police in 2025 were 4,830, of which 4,500 operational and 330 support. These are numbers slightly lower than 2022, when they were 5,100.

According to some unions, however, only a third would be truly operational, and therefore can be deployed in the scenarios seen in recent days to guarantee public order: this is a 2024 figure from COISP.

If we then look at the average age of the agents of the mobile departments, this appears to be quite high: it is in fact equal to 47 years, with peaks of 52 years in Taranto and 50 years in Naples.

Various critical issues then emerge from other reports from the unions: for example in Genoa only 8 of the 20 vehicles supplied to the VI Mobile Police Department are actually operational. A problem that seems to also affect other cities.

However, what happened in Milan is not unique, but has many similarities with other cities in Europe. In 2025, observing the events per week per million inhabitants, it emerges that in France there were 1.9 demonstrations, in Spain 1.6, in Italy 1.1 and in Germany 0.7.

But why are people taking to the streets? In Italy in 2025 the dominant theme was Palestine, while in France it was the cost of living and wages. So two different topics.

Extending our gaze to other European countries, it emerges that the issue of Palestine was also central in Spain (albeit with lower percentages). In Germany, however, it was immigration that took center stage in the streets.

Returning to Italy, it emerges that in the years of Covid-19 the number of protests was significantly higher than today and with restrictions at the center of the demonstrations.

Meanwhile, to respond to what happened, a meeting of the Council of Ministers will be held today at 5.30 pm. The government is in fact working on a decree law with measures to combat the phenomenon of street riots that have occurred in several cities in recent days.