The five, an inspector and four officers, were arrested on charges of torture and bodily harm against migrants and homeless people.
“The events emerging from the Verona enquiry, if confirmed, would be extremely serious, damaging first and foremost to the dignity of the victims, but also to the honour and reputation of thousands of women and men of the State Police who daily perform their service to citizens with dedication and sacrifice,” Piantedosi said.
He vowed that “the judiciary and the State Police itself will shed full light on what happened”.
According to The Guardian newspaper, two of the suspects are also accused of racist hate crimes against black people and African migrants.
Investigators say the officers beat migrants and homeless people during identification processes.
“It cannot be denied that through their conduct all the suspects have betrayed their function, suppressing the rights and freedoms of people under their authority [and] offending their dignity as people, creating disorder themselves and compromising public safety, committing crimes rather than preventing them, in this respect clearly taking advantage of their status, even committing fraudulent misrepresentation in public acts with worrying ease,” the investigators wrote.
ANSA
