Olgiate: Living Outpost and Sentinels in the Markets

Context

TL;DR

• The Presidio Vivo project gets underway in Olgiate Olona
• Two squares host the markets involved
• Clearly identifiable volunteers work alongside the Local Police
• Events scheduled through December

Key facts

• Project → Presidio Vivo
• Locations → piazza Don Pino Ballabio and piazza Volontari della Libertà
• Volunteers → Market Sentinels
• Coordination → Local Police
• Call for proposals → urban security
• Scheduling → events through December

A recognizable presence in the markets

Two squares in Olgiate Olona are at the center of Presidio Vivo, the new security initiative promoted by the municipal administration through participation in a regional call for proposals dedicated to urban security.

One of the project's objectives is to strengthen the monitoring and community-outreach activities already active in the area's main market areas. The markets involved are located in piazza Don Pino Ballabio, in the historic center, and in piazza Volontari della Libertà, in the Buon Gesù neighborhood.

These are places that the municipality considers important meeting points for residents, shopkeepers and visitors. The two squares host the town's markets and represent spaces where daily presence combines with commercial activities and with people visiting the town.

During market days, security is already ensured by the presence of the Olgiate Olona Local Police. The officers provide monitoring services, traffic management and support for citizens. Presidio Vivo is designed to further strengthen this work through complementary actions involving civic presence, information and awareness-raising.

The project therefore places a recognizable volunteer presence in market locations alongside the services already provided by the Local Police. Coordination remains entrusted to the Local Police, while the planned activities aim to make attention to public spaces and the needs of those who use them more visible.

Among the initiatives are the Market Sentinels: easily recognizable volunteers who will offer support in managing spaces, welcoming and guiding market-goers. Their work will always take place under the coordination of the Local Police.

The decision to involve volunteers and associations places the project in a community-oriented framework. The market is considered not only a place to shop, but also a space for interaction and presence, where welcome and guidance can complement the monitoring already provided by officers.

Operational details

Information and community policing

The information component of Presidio Vivo is also delivered through the Local Police's community help desk. The project provides for the opening of a dedicated point for citizens, where they can receive advice and information on topics related to security and the care of shared spaces.

From scams to the care of public spaces

The Help Desk will focus on preventing scams targeting older people, road safety, respect for public spaces, and urban upkeep. These are different issues, but they are all linked to everyday life in market areas and to the possibility for citizens to engage directly with the Local Police.

The local presence will involve officers together with volunteer associations invited to participate in the initiative. Among them, the source names the Associazione Nazionale Carabinieri in Congedo di Castellanza and the Pro Loco di Olgiate Olona. The project thus aims to combine information, assistance, and collaboration with organizations already active in the community.

Presidio Vivo also stands alongside other measures adopted by the municipal administration in the area of urban security. The initiative includes the expansion of video surveillance, with a significant increase in the number of cameras operating across the area, and the strengthening of monitoring services.

The Municipality also highlights the joint work between the Local Police Commands of Olgiate Olona and Solbiate Olona. The agreement has led to an increase in joint patrols and surveillance services, giving monitoring activities an inter-municipal dimension.

Councillor for Commerce and Digitalization Fabio Longhin presented the new project as part of a strategy based on presence, prevention, and collaboration with the community.

«Presidio Vivo adds a new element to a strategy based on presence, prevention, and collaboration with the community».

The initiatives mentioned by Longhin also include the recent Patti per la Legalità, signed with S.O.S. Italia Libera, an anti-racketeering and anti-usury association, as well as with students at the Dante Alighieri secondary school. The administration has also supported the development of Controllo del Vicinato networks, involving both citizens and the business community.

According to the approach outlined by the councillor, video surveillance, coordinated Local Police services, prevention initiatives, and neighborhood networks are different but complementary tools. The stated goal is to help build a more aware, attentive, and cohesive community, without separating monitoring from citizens' participation.

Key points

Appointments through December

The project will be developed through a schedule of events spread over the months through December. The planned presence in the area will include Local Police officers and the volunteer organizations involved in the initiative, with activities concentrated in the spaces hosting the town markets.

Markets as community spaces

The schedule will complement the ordinary presence of the Local Police with the activities of the Market Sentinels, welcoming market-goers and providing guidance in the areas concerned. These actions will be joined by the Neighborhood Help Desk, conceived as an information point for residents on prevention, road safety, respect for public spaces and urban decorum.

Mayor Giovanni Montano linked this phase to recognizing the role of associations and volunteers in the town’s most frequented places. The choice concerns the markets in particular, described as spaces for relationships, social interaction and everyday presence.

For the administration, increasing the safety of these places helps strengthen the sense of community and spread a shared culture of prevention. In the mayor’s view, safety depends not only on monitoring tools, but also on an attentive and engaged community.

The role assigned to shopkeepers, volunteers, associations, schools and residents is to collaborate in promoting awareness, civic-mindedness and care for shared spaces. The direction chosen by Olgiate Olona is described as community-based safety, founded on collaboration and shared responsibility.

The project’s operational follow-up is therefore linked to a visible and coordinated presence in the two market squares. On the one hand, there will be Local Police officers engaged in monitoring activities, traffic management and supporting residents; on the other, volunteers and associations will contribute to welcoming visitors, providing guidance and caring for the spaces.

The Municipality identifies the ultimate goal as strengthening the sense of safety and improving quality of life in public spaces. Presidio Vivo also intends to promote the town markets as places of social interaction, meeting and participation, through a visible, collaborative presence attentive to the needs of the community.

Source: varesenoi.it