ROMA (ITALPRESS) – Neighbourhood shops are a fundamental social and urban security guard, contributing to the vitality of neighborhoods and the quality of life of local communities. Commercial desertification weakens this function and makes proximity activities that remain on the most isolated and vulnerable market. This is what emerges from a Censis-Confcommercio survey presented in Bari on the occasion of the Confcom event “inCittà”. Despite the significant decline compared to 2015, in Italy thefts in commercial exercises are close to pre-Covid levels (-1.4% between 2019 and 2025), while the robberies exceeded the values of 2019 (+10.6% in 2025). In 2025, a ten-year business reported robbery and five out of a thousand robbery. 95.7% of Italians buy in proximity shops and 90.6% consider them a distinctive feature of Italian society. More than eight Italians out of ten declare that the presence of shops and open premises makes them feel safer (85.9%), that their closure favors the urban degradation (83.2%) and that it is important to be able to count in case of necessity on traders, bartenders and restaurateurs (85.8%).
Almost nine out of ten citizens (87.3%) turned at least once to shops and public exercises for a need: from the simple request for information (in 68.8% of cases) to the reporting of suspicious or potentially dangerous behaviors (22%), from the demand for help because chased or threatened (16.9%) to the request to contact the forces of the order after having suffered a crime (15.8%). Safety also influences consumer choices: 72.4% of Italians make purchases only in areas that consider safe and 61.4% evaluates the safety of the area before choosing a restaurant. The social alarm is also growing, especially in cities: about four Italians out of ten believe that microcriminality (42.8%), insecurity (39%) and degradation (38.8%) in the area of residence are increasing and the share rises in municipalities with more than 30 thousand inhabitants. To make sure a neighborhood contribute above all good lighting (72%), the presence of law enforcement forces (62.4%), open stores (40.7%), cameras and video surveillance systems (39.1%).
For 83.9% of citizens, traders already contribute to the decoration and security of the territory and 88.7% consider it essential to strengthen the collaboration between local institutions, law enforcement and associations through shared security protocols. For the vice president of Confcommercio with delegation to the Policies of Legality, Security and Corporate Ethics, Patrizia Di Dio, “the commerce of proximity has not only an economic value, but also represents an important presidium of legality, security and social cohesion. Commercial desertification means not only less economic activity, but also worsening the quality of life in the territories. For this reason it is necessary to strengthen the presence of the State on the territory, to ensure effective interventions of prevention and contrast to crime and to consolidate the collaboration between institutions, law enforcement, local administrations and category associations. Supporting proximity business means investing in urban security and viability. A safe city is a living city and a living city needs its businesses.”.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
