Crime in Vatican City

Vatican City applies the Italian Penal Code of 1889 and Criminal Procedure Code of 1913 through Law LXXI, supplemented by Law VIII. Official rules address offences including abuse of minors and protected persons, human trafficking and sexual exploitation, money laundering, terrorist financing and other offences covered by international conventions. A reliable official overall crime rate or complete offence ranking was not identified. The 2024 financial intelligence report recorded 79 Suspicious Activity Reports, including 6 submitted by authorities of the Holy See or Vatican City State; these reports concern suspected financial irregularities and do not measure all crime in Vatican City. The Corpo della Gendarmeria dello Stato della Città del Vaticano is the main police and judicial-police authority. Its duties include patrols, access control, traffic enforcement, border and customs-related functions, administrative policing, investigations and prison policing. The Directorate of Security and Civil Protection Services supports security planning and protection, while the Pontifical Swiss Guard protects designated people and places and cooperates with the Gendarmerie. General police and judicial-police functions officially remain with the Gendarmerie. The Promoter of Justice and the Tribunale dello Stato della Città del Vaticano belong to the judicial system; the Promoter of Justice receives or advances criminal matters, while the court determines cases under the applicable law. The Gendarmerie operates continuously with patrols, guarded access at five entrances, an alarm and video control room, a Rapid Intervention Group and an Anti-Sabotage Unit. A suspicious object should be kept at a safe distance and reported immediately to the Operations Room or the Gendarmerie. The emergency number is +39.06.698112. The Gendarmerie Command can be reached at +39.06.69865140. The same number is published for Lost and Found matters. St Peter's Square is Vatican territory and is freely accessible, but its security is governed by arrangements involving Italian police authorities. The Gendarmerie also has authority in certain areas covered by the Lateran Treaty. Extraterritorial properties have a special status, so the competent authority depends on the exact site and the status of the people involved. The Ispettorato di Pubblica Sicurezza presso il Vaticano cooperates with Vatican authorities on Italian territory. Confirming the place of the incident before making a non-urgent complaint can prevent the report from being sent to the wrong authority. An ordinary criminal complaint can be addressed to the Gendarmerie or to the Promoter of Justice. The Promoter's Office is not a freely accessible walk-in service: an appointment is required, and submissions are accepted as paper originals. Email does not replace formal filing. Copies of case documents may incur a fee, while no separate fee for a basic criminal complaint was identified. The Promoter's regular hours are Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 14:00, with additional hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 15:00 to 18:00; judicial holidays run from 11 August to 20 September. Emergencies should use the Operations Room rather than waiting for office hours. Law CCXCVII requires office-holders who learn of, or have a well-founded suspicion of, an offence against a minor or protected person to report it without delay. Failure to report can result in a fine of EUR 1,000 to EUR 5,000, and a judicial-police officer can face up to six months' imprisonment. The researched rules do not establish a general reporting duty for every adult in every criminal matter. Any other person may nevertheless report suspected abuse, including someone who did not take part in the conduct. The directly documented Support Service focuses on abuse of minors and protected persons. It can provide counselling, medical and social assistance, emergency psychological or therapeutic help, explanations of rights, access to justice, privacy and data-protection measures, contact-avoidance arrangements and protection against intimidation or retaliation. A special curator can be appointed at state expense where the child's or protected person's interests conflict with those of a legal representative. A separate all-crime victim-support structure was not publicly established in the researched material. Special safeguards apply to minors and vulnerable people. During questioning, a child under 14 must be accompanied by a psychologist. A trusted person or lawyer may also be present, and the questioning can be video-recorded. Protection offences are prosecuted officially, and the limitation period is 20 years; for offences against minors, the period starts on the victim's eighteenth birthday. For cybercrime, the Directorate of Security and Civil Protection Services and Italy's Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale signed a memorandum of understanding on 18 July 2024. It provides for information exchange, training, cybersecurity projects and prevention of cybercrime risks. No separate public citizen cybercrime reporting channel was identified, so urgent cases should go to the Gendarmerie's emergency service and other criminal matters to the Gendarmerie or Promoter of Justice. INTERPOL cooperation supports cross-border police work, but it does not replace the local reporting channels.