Description

While the modern Polizia di Stato was created in 1981 with the merger of the many civil police services of Italy, its roots date back to 1852 as the police force of the then Kingdom of Sardinia.

It is successor and heir to the traditions of military and civil police organizations under both monarchy and republic. On 11 July 1852, then King of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel II established the Public Security Guards, a prototype city police service created to serve Turin and Genoa for the protection of their citizens and also formed detachments of municipal police. This date is marked as the official anniversary of the State Police. At that time there were a number of provincial National Guard and Municipal Militia battalions, plus cavalry platoons detached from the army and Carabinieri. In 1859, given the current situation in regards to the Unification of Italy, the Public Security Guards became the national civil police defacto of a unified Italian nation.

Law enforcement in Italy is an exclusive duty of the State, which means that policing is centralized on a national level. According to Italian system, as "policing" we can refer to the duties of "full-powered officers" coming from the three national main forces: Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri and, even if generally active in specific fields, Guardia di Finanza.

Obverse

Depicts two police officers, a man and a woman, in front of a police car, surrounded by the inscription "State Police" above and engraver's initials below. An acronym for the Italian Republic (IR) on the top right, mintmark (R) on the bottom left, dates on the bottom right. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring.

Polizia di Stato vehicles are light blue with a white stripe along the side and the word POLIZIA in large letters underneath. The license plates start with the word Polizia in red usually followed by a letter and four numbers. All Italian police forces were equipped with Italian-made police cars, with FIAT and Alfa Romeos most common.

Engraver: Annalisa Masini

POLIZIA DI STATO
RI
POLIZIA
R
1852-2022
A.M.

Reverse

A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the right side of the coin. The inscription 2 EURO is superimposed over the map of Europe, with the numeral “2” located in an open field representing the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

12 stars are located on the right side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments.

Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “O” in “EURO.”

2 EURO
LL

Edge

The sequence "2 ★" repeated six times alternately upright and inverted

2 ★ 2 ★ 2 ★ 2 ★ 2 ★ 2 ★

2 Euro

170th Anniversary of Foundation of the Italian National Police

KM#
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Bi-Metallic
Ring Cupronickel
Center Nickel Brass
Weight 8.5 g
Diameter 25.75 mm
Thickness 2.2 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS)

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