Italy passes security bill extending preventive detention to minors, targeting nightlife violence and youth gangs

What the bill contains

The Council of Ministers approved a new security bill on 14 July 2026, introducing what the governing majority calls 'anti-maranza' measures (a term for youth street gangs). The legislation covers five main areas: a new oral warning from the police commissioner (questore) that includes a ban on gathering; extended preventive detention powers that now cover minors; a delayed flagrancy arrest for property damage committed by groups of five or more; faster eviction procedures for illegally occupied properties; and the exclusion of damages for someone who reacts with excessive force during a crime, though criminal liability remains. The meeting lasted roughly 20 minutes.

The discipline of so-called preventive detention is extended also to minors.

Preventive detention and the nightlife clampdown

The preventive detention measure applies in areas with large crowds (such as nightlife or 'movida' zones) when there is reasonable grounds to believe a person may pose a threat to public safety. Grounds include possession of weapons or objects considered indicative of dangerousness, as well as prior convictions for crimes against person or property, drug offences, or weapons offences. The minister stressed that local police officers were already included in the functional category of public security agents and can therefore carry out such detentions, calling confusion on this point 'a wholly technical misunderstanding.'

The extension can concern any public security agent, whether belonging to the state police forces or local police agents, if assigned to that type of service.

Gathering bans and delayed arrests

The police commissioner can issue an oral warning accompanied by a prohibition on gathering when five or more people engage in intimidating, gravely harassing, or violent behaviour in public places. For the crime of property damage, the bill introduces delayed flagrancy arrest: officers can proceed against individuals if their identification occurs within 24 hours of the events through video footage or other evidence. This applies as an optional arrest when the damage is committed by five or more people.

1. Feb 5, 2026First security decree approved by the Council of Ministers, introducing prison terms of six months to three years for carrying knives with blades of at least 8cm without justified reason, with aggravating circumstances on trains and buses.
2. 2026-04The February security decree receives final approval from the Chamber of Deputies.
3. Jul 14, 2026Council of Ministers approves a new security bill extending preventive detention to minors, introducing oral warnings with gathering bans, delayed arrest for group property damage, and faster property-eviction procedures.

Property occupations and self-defence

Occupied properties can now be rapidly cleared and returned to the rightful owner through an accelerated procedure, even when the building is not the owner's sole effective residence. Current law limits this fast-track route to cases where the property is the complainant's only home. On the exclusion of compensation, Piantedosi described the classic case as a home robbery where the victim reacts and causes injury through excessive self-defence: in such instances, a conviction for culpable excess would exclude damages from being awarded.

Prosecution of assaults on police

A further change extends official prosecution (procedibilità d'ufficio) to the crime of personal injury against public officials, judicial police officers, and public security agents acting in the line of duty. Previously, for minor or very minor injuries, prosecution required a formal complaint from the victim. The bill now makes prosecution automatic, removing that requirement.