9 suspects, 6,479 people checked, 41 vehicles checked, 2 high administrative sanctions, 1 vehicle seized: this is the balance of the activities carried out by the Railway Police Department for Sicily in the period between 23 December 2024 and 7 January 2025, thanks to the use of 666 patrols employed in the relevant stations and 53 self-assembled surveillance services carried out along the railway lines, more than the previous year by 26% and 90% respectively, as well as carried out 18 anti-pickpocketing services in civilian clothes both in airports and on trains to combat theft and scams against travellers.
During the Christmas holiday period, the services within the competence of the Specialty were intensified in view of the greater number of travelers expected, both for the return of Sicilians to their cities of origin and for tourists visiting the main tourist locations on the island and they were 59 surveillance services were carried out on board 90 trains, 28% more than the previous year.
On 30 December, the last operation of the year 2024 called “Safe Stations” took place, organized at a national level by the Railway Police Service, to increase the level of safety in the railway sector and combat illicit activities, during which the Polfer agents had the collaboration of the dog units in Palermo, Catania and Messina.
Precisely in Messina, following a report from Ghimly, the drug detection dog of the Guardia di Finanza, the operators proceeded to check a 38 year old originally from Catania who was found in possession of a modest quantity of a narcotic substance of the cannabis type and therefore sanctioned and reported to the competent bodies, while the substance found was seized.
In Palermo, however, a man was found who had moved away from the provincial structure where he was staying. On 3 January, the first day of extraordinary checks of the year took place, called “Rail Safe Day”, organized at a national level by the Railway Police Service, to combat those anomalous behaviors and the undue presence of subjects in the railway area, often cause of accidents. The operation saw the use of 75 Polfer agents throughout the Sicilian territory, who attended 44 stations and 13 FS areas of particular interest, not detecting any critical issues.