On 31 March 2026, the trainees of the 41st Advanced Training Course attended a training session at the Prefettura of L’Aquila, focused on the topic concerning the search for missing persons, an issue of particular operational importance that requires constant coordination among local authorities, police forces and emergency services.
The Management Grade Police Officials/Officers, accompanied by the Scuola di Perfezionamento’s Director, National Police Dirigente Generale Vincenzo Massimo Modeo and by the Head of the SFP’s Study, Research and Courses Service, Brigadier General Alessandro Della Nebbia, were welcomed by the Prefetto of L’Aquila, Mr. Vito Cusumano, in the presence of the Deputy Chief of Local Police, the Provincial Commander of the Guardia di Finanza Corps and the Commander of the L’Aquila Forestry Carabinieri Group, as well as by representatives of the local authorities and the various bodies involved, in various capacities, in search operations across the region.
During the session, participants had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding, through high-level institutional and technical presentations, of the overall operational response model adopted at provincial level in cases of missing persons. In particular, the Provincial Plan for the Search for Missing Persons was outlined, alongside the contribution provided by the Civil Protection’s NUE 112 Service, the Fire Brigade and the Guardia di Finanza Corps, who shared procedures, response methods and significant case studies, highlighting the importance of prompt action, inter-agency coordination and synergy between the various parties involved.
The training session continued in the afternoon at the premises of the Carabinieri Forestry Group with a technical and practical presentation delivered by the response teams involved in prevention, search and rescue operations: the Carabinieri Meteomont Service, the Alpine Rescue Service of the Guardia di Finanza (SAGF) and the Abruzzo Regional Alpine Rescue Service (SASA). This initiative, which represented an important opportunity for discussion at operational level, enabled participants to gain further insight into a complex subject with significant human and institutional implications, an activity in which specialist units are engaged on a daily basis, particularly in mountainous and snow-covered areas, where operations are often made even more challenging by adverse weather conditions and terrain features.
The day before the visit to L’Aquila, a preparatory meeting on the subject was held in the presence of the Government’s Special Commissioner for Missing Persons, Prefetto Saverio Ordine. During this meeting, held at the SFP’s venue, the relevant regulatory framework and up-to-date statistical data on this issue were analyzed.
