In a controversial move, Italian authorities have begun deploying 3,000 troops in major cities as part of an anti-crime drive by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
He won elections in April on a law-and-order platform. Italy's opposition left and police unions have accused his government of trying to "militarize" civilian life. Five hundred troops have been assigned to assist police in Milan and Naples, but in Rome its mayor Gianni Alemanno has refused to allow soldiers to patrol the city's tourist centre. Four hundred, however, have been deployed at railway stations. On the island of Lampedusa, where boat migrants often seek entry to Europe from Africa, 70 air force personnel will replace police who patrol the perimeter of a reception centre.
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