Italy will install metal detectors in schools to combat youth violence

Italy will install metal detectors in schools to prevent students from bringing knives into the classroom after an 18-year-old boy killed a classmate with a kitchen knife at a high school in the northern region of La Spezia. The first pilot tests began on Friday at the entrance to the Einaudi Chiodo High School, where Youssef Abanoub, 18, was fatally stabbed two weeks ago by a classmate, Zouhair Atif, 19. Police officers with canine units and handheld metal detectors scanned the backpacks of all students outside the school gates. The violent death of Youssef Abanoub sparked a broad debate in Italy about youth violence and led the La Spezia police headquarters' provincial public order and security committee to decide to implement stricter security measures. The proposal was presented last week by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara and confirmed this Thursday by the Interior Ministry through a circular sent to schools. "We need to restore parental authority and for everyone to understand that a parent's role cannot be delegated to a mobile phone," the minister declared in an interview, in which he warned of the rise in violence among young Italians. "Metal detectors in schools will be a useful tool; they are not repressive in any way, especially since those who don't carry knives have nothing to fear," Valditara asserted, responding to those who criticize a supposed "militarization" of Italian schools. Deterrent effect

According to the Italian government, the aim is to prevent the increasing use of bladed weapons by students through a system designed to have a deterrent effect. The measure can be adopted at the request of school principals, but law enforcement, with full "respect for school autonomy," may conduct surprise checks at schools "if there are specific concerns about the commission of crimes or ongoing judicial investigations in this area," the circular states. The document emphasizes that "the commission of serious acts of violence among young people, the discovery of weapons or other objects capable of causing harm in or around schools, as well as the presence of drug trafficking and consumption in areas frequented by schools, have highlighted the marginalization and illegality that permeate the social fabric of schools, requiring a coordinated institutional response." Increase in complaints

Despite warnings from institutions, Italy has one of the lowest rates of juvenile delinquency in Europe. However, according to a recent study by the NGO Save the Children, between 2019 and 2024, the number of minors reported for possession of weapons—from knives to brass knuckles or even stun guns—rose from 778 to 1,946. The first school to implement this measure was Marie Curie in Ponticelli, a troubled neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. "Three or four times a year, police officers check students at the entrance to see if they are carrying concealed weapons or drugs," explains the principal, Valeria Pirone. The decision was made after a student stabbed another two years ago. After speaking with the students, Pirone understood the magnitude of a worrying phenomenon that, she says, "the school couldn't fight alone." In an interview in the newspaper The RepublicThe headmistress acknowledges that, at first, the students were afraid, but now they accept the checks calmly because they feel safer. "If this measure deters even one student from carrying a knife in their pocket, it will have been worth adopting. But it's sad to have to do it with a dead body on the floor," she concludes.