Sicily’s state repeatedly cycled between private and public enforcement, each failing

Evidence

The tortuous history of the legislation involving private and public police forces is indicative of the difficulties faced by the state—whether Bourbon or Unified Italian—in enforcing law and order. In 1806, 1807, 1809, and 1819, the Gendarmeria Reale was reorganized and reshaped. In 1813 the Compagnie d’ Armi, a sort of vigilante militia, was formed, followed by a municipal police force, the Sorvegliatori di Interna Sicurezza, in 1833. In 1860 the Compagnie d’Armi (also known as Milici a Cavallo) was disbanded by Garibaldi. In 1865 the new Italian government abolished all private armies and police forces. In 1866 the Milici a Cavallo were reinstated, for the Carabinieri alone had proved incapable of enforcing the law. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 850

Categorization

• XREF: Directly evidences Gambetta’s core thesis that the state’s chronic enforcement failures created demand for mafia protection — connects to the reader’s Godfather/Gambetta model of state failure driving private protection markets.
• QUESTION: The repeated reinstatement of vigilante militias implies the state alternately authorized and criminalized private force — worth tracing whether each reversal was driven by fiscal or political constraints.