Riding one of Florence’s trams can be an uneasy experience at times. In order to reassure locals and tourists, police will soon be patrolling the tram lines to cut down on crime and provide safer travel.
The Polmetro experimental scheme, which was launched in August by the Italian Ministry of the Interior, will enter into force in Florence following Rome, Milan and Naples, bringing a heightened police presence to the city’s public transport links.
In a separate decision, the City of Florence has issued a bylaw forcing minimarkets selling alcohol to close at 9pm in 19 “problematic” streets: via Maso Finiguerra, via Palazzuolo, via dell’Agnolo, piazza San Jacopino + via San Jacopino, via Nazionale, via Benedetto Marcello, via di Maragliano, via del Ponte alle Mosse, via Guelfa, via Panicale, via Chiara, via Rocca Tedalda, via dei Vanni, via Canova, via di Villa Demidoff, via delle Panche, via Caccini and piazza IV Novembre. Bars, pubs and restaurants will not be affected by the regulation.
The moves come after a spate of attacks on tram and bus drivers, and a nonagenarian was violently robbed on his doorstep in via Maso Finiguerra.
