The number of migrants registered in the Italian border city of Ventimiglia has decreased, Imperia police commissioner Giuseppe Felice Peritore said on Wednesday (March 20) during the presentation of Operation 'Safe Streets.' This operation involves the deployment of an additional 15 members of the army in the Ligurian city on the border with France.

"Sixty presences were monitored as of today in the territory of Ventimiglia", Peritore said. "They are mostly irregular migrants" who have been "identified and controlled," he added.

"Compared to the massive presence registered over the past few months, especially during the summer, with peaks of 500-600 foreigners, this gives us an idea of how the phenomenon has decreased".

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Authorities stress the territory is safer

Peritore went on to say that there is a "very rigid" control in place to monitor the presence of migrants in the area and that, "over the past few months, we have not registered problems of public order and security."

He added that "as of today, we have recorded 24 readmissions from France toward Italy".

The Prefect of Imperia, Valerio Massimo Romeo, expressed gratitude to Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi "for keeping the promises made during his visit on October 2" last year. He remarked that today, "Ventimiglia is a city in a state of permanent safety." While acknowledging that perhaps no Italian city can be entirely described as safe, he emphasized, "we have the instruments to guarantee better conditions of security."

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Ventimiglia Mayor thanks Minister Piantedosi

Ventimiglia Mayor, Flavio Di Muro, a member of the League party in the government coalition, spoke along the same lines, saying that "facts have followed words."

"Thanks to the commitment of Minister Piantedosi, of (Undersecretary Nicola) Molteni and the great coordination implemented over the last few months with the prefect and the commissioner of Imperia", he said the deployment law enforcement officials, together with local police, has improved, adding that his administration has hired more local police officials and added nighttime shifts to guarantee security.

Also read: Migration: Border controls stepped up between France and Italy