Italy, once synonymous with the birthplace of Cosa Nostra, now stands as one of Europe’s safest havens, boasting a murder rate well below that of its neighboring counterparts.
Throughout the mid-19th century up to the 1990s, a multitude of lives were claimed by mafia violence, ranging from adversaries or betrayers encased in cement or disposed of by pigs, to judges, clergy, and informants targeted for challenging the mob’s authority.
The turbulent period known as the “Years of Lead,” extending from the late 1960s to the 1980s, cast a shadow over Italy as extremist factions from both ends of the political spectrum unleashed terror through bombings and assassinations, plunging the nation into a state of fear and uncertainty.
The heinous assassination of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro by the Marxist-Leninist Red Brigades in 1978 remains seared into the collective memory of the nation, yet it’s noteworthy that the majority of the estimated 400 victims during that period fell prey to neo-fascist groups.
As the curtains fell on this turbulent chapter and law enforcement agencies intensified their efforts against organized crime, prompting mafias to pivot towards less violent financial pursuits, the murder rate declined.
UN statistics from 1990 reveal that Italy registered 34 murders per one million inhabitants, outpacing the rate of 24 recorded in neighboring France.
Between 2021 and 2022, Italy experienced a reduction in its murder rate to 5.5 per million inhabitants, whereas France reported 11, Germany had eight, and the UK recorded 10 per million.
Among European nations, only Norway and Switzerland have murder rates equal to or lower than Italy’s, whereas Latvia, with a rate 6.5 times higher, stands as the worst.
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‘Homicides in general have decreased in the last 25 years, especially the percentage of men’ — who previously were the main victims of mafias, noted Raffaella Sette, a sociologist at the University of Bologna.
Just 10 percent of murders each year are now blamed on organised crime.
‘The mafias – the Camorra, the ‘Ndrangheta, the Cosa Nostra — have radically changed their way of operating,’ said Gianluca Arrighi, a criminal lawyer who writes police novels.
‘Today, they operate from a more economic point of view, buying up real estate, entering into companies,’ he said.
Analyzing the drivers of violence across different nations is a complex endeavor with inherent risks, but according to Arrighi, multiple factors come into play.
Arrighi argues that although Italy may lag behind its comparable EU neighbors in terms of wealth, this economic disparity doesn’t always negatively impact social well-being. He highlights the importance of “goodwill” among people in offsetting life’s adversities.
‘The higher the conflict in a society, the higher the number of murders, committed by people who are in some state of anger,’ Arrighi told AFP.
However, it’s worth noting that the murder rate is disproportionately higher in the southern territories of Italy, which coincide with the country’s economically deprived regions.
Despite challenges, Stefano Delfini, overseeing criminal analysis at the government’s department of public security, shares the view that our society is witnessing a decrease in violence.
‘The social fabric is more resistant, probably because of the presence of family values which mean difficulties are felt in a less harsh way.’
Alcohol or drug use is identified as another contributing factor to violence in other countries, with France and the UK particularly affected.