Overview
- Police say a 13-year-old entered the Vigliano Biellese post office near Biella, pointed what looked like a real pistol at staff, and took €500 in cash before walking away.
- Post office employees alerted the carabinieri, who found the boy soon after between Vigliano and nearby Candelo with the money in his backpack, and the weapon was later confirmed to be a toy.
- Because he is under 14, he cannot face criminal charges under Italian law, so the juvenile prosecutor received his file and social services are expected to take over.
- Save the Children reports fewer youths are being flagged to juvenile offices even as more end up in the penal system, with crimes against the person rising from 15,365 in 2019 to 21,958 in 2025.
- The group also tracks a sharp rise in carrying improvised weapons, from 778 cases in 2019 to 1,946 in 2024, with Milan up 455% in a decade as knives increasingly become seen by youths as ordinary items.