The period of mandate of the Prefect of Catanzaro, Dr. Castrese De Rosa, at the helm of the Government Territorial Office, ends with a balance sheet full of results and significant interventions. A detailed report, which covers the period between December 2024 and the end of May 2026, photographs an area in which the synergy between institutions and law enforcement agencies has produced a significant improvement in public safety and a decisive contraction of criminal phenomena.
In greeting the province, the Prefect wanted to dedicate a profound thought to the community: “If you manage to give a piece of your heart to the people of Catanzaro, you will be given a hundredfold back as happened to me. Thank you all”.
Security and crime trends: crime in clear retreat
The statistical data on the trend of crime in the province of Catanzaro highlights a strongly positive trend. In the consolidated comparison between 2024 and 2025, there was an overall reduction in crimes of 9.6%, with the total number of crimes decreasing from 12,109 to 10,950 cases.
The most significant drops concern extortion: -41% (from 118 to 70 episodes), a figure that the Territorial Office also highlights as a possible indication of a persistent reluctance to report; narcotics: -25% (from 281 to 210 cases); car and home thefts: -26% and -20% respectively; threats, general thefts and cyber crimes: all down by 13%.
This scenario of progressive improvement finds further and even more marked confirmation in the comparison between the first half of 2025 and the first half of 2026, where the overall contraction in crimes reaches -18% (dropping from 3,915 to 3,211 episodes), driven by a drop of 37% in drug-related crimes and 23% in thefts.
The trench of legality: fight against mafias and prevention
In terms of protecting the legal economy and combating the infiltration of organized crime, the Prefecture’s action has been incessant. The Joint Anti-Mafia Group (GIA) held 46 meetings dealing with 105 cases. In the context of disqualification measures and collaborative prevention, 14 measures prohibiting or denying registration in the white lists were adopted, compared to 27 disclaiming measures and 4 collaborative prevention measures. Ordinary anti-mafia activity saw the release of 572 releasing information, 2,625 releasing communications and 251 registrations or renewals in the white lists.
The signing of five legality protocols and strategic agreements was crucial. Among these stand out the Protocol for the 4 modernization lots of the State Road 106 Jonica (July 2025), aimed at protecting the construction sites from the interference of the ‘Ndrangheta, the pact against usury (December 2025), the anti-mafia agreement in the tourism-hotel and restaurant sectors (May 2026), and the agreements for safety in the workplace and in businesses public.
The Prefecture also managed complex procedures linked to Local Authorities, with the dissolution of the Municipality of Cerva (extended to September 2025) and the Municipality of Badolato (April 2025) due to mafia infiltration, as well as managing the ordinary commissionerships of Serrastretta, Montauro, Simeri Crichi and Carlopoli.
Territorial control and urban redevelopment
Public order saw a massive commitment coordinated by the Provincial Committee for Public Order and Security (29 meetings) and by the Technical Coordination Meetings (31 meetings), which led to the issuing of 2,621 ordinances by the Police Commissioner. To bring the institutions closer to the citizens, the itinerant Committee was inaugurated, which took place in numerous small towns in the province (such as Cropani, Soverato, Girifalco and Carlopoli) involving the mayors of the neighboring districts.
From an urban security perspective, important video surveillance projects have been prepared and approved, with investments of 1 million euros for the Municipality of Catanzaro and approximately 430 thousand euros for the Municipality of Lamezia Terme. Great attention was paid to the recovery of degraded areas through targeted “high impact” activities in complex contexts such as Viale Isonzo in Catanzaro and Ciampa di Cavallo in Lamezia Terme, as well as the activation of control rooms for the reclamation and relocation of the Scordovillo Roma camp (Lamezia Terme).
Also noteworthy is the symbolic and practical value of the recovery of assets confiscated from the mafia, returned to the community through the inauguration of an educational farm in Conflenti and a traffic education park in Cropani.
Big events, social and school world
Catanzaro has proven capable of attracting and managing large events of national importance in complete safety. Under the direction of the Prefecture, complex events were planned and coordinated such as the RAI New Year’s Eve 2026, the first Italian stage of the Giro d’Italia 2026 (from Catanzaro to Cosenza) and the organization of the “Jova Summer Party” scheduled in the Germaneto area for August 2026.
Prefect De Rosa has left a strong mark of closeness to the world of schools and young people, promoting campaigns against bullying, cyberbullying and gender violence, among which the projects “Ask yourself if I’m happy” and “State, citizens and students” stand out.
On the migration front, the prefectural action saw the establishment of the new Territorial Council for Immigration. Between January 2025 and May 2026, the flows of approximately 3,200 migrants who arrived in Calabria and distributed across the territory were managed, which today has 25 Extraordinary Reception Centers (CAS) active in the province with a capacity of 927 places (of which 64 for unaccompanied minors).
Rescue and Civil Protection
Finally, the budget documents the efficiency of the public relief machine. In the field of Civil Protection, we remember the sudden activations of the Rescue Coordination Center (CCS) to deal with weather emergencies such as Cyclone Harry in January 2026. During 2025, the search plans for missing people saved 9 lives (out of 12 activated plans), while in 2026 so far 2 live tracings have been recorded out of 3 plans launched. Maximum timeliness was also guaranteed for urgent medical air transports: 14 interventions in 2025 and 7 in the first four months of 2026, including the vital one carried out in favor of little Maria Luce.
A solid administrative and operational legacy, the one left by Prefect De Rosa, which delivers higher safety standards and a model of widespread and participatory legality to the province of Catanzaro.