The Carabinieri, one of Italy's two nationwide police forces, must be spitting blood. They have the nicer uniforms, the longer history, and the tougher image - and when Italians tell stupid jokes, they tell them about them, not about their rivals. But their rivals, the Italian State Police (PS) have come up with a novelty worth five of that.
Ladies and Gentlemen - here is the Italian State Police fashion line!
Except for the first photograph, these all feature serving police agents.
Two designers who lent their skills to the cause
The black panther, symbol of the motorized squads ("pantere")
Drugs squad, I believe, and forensic squad
Street Looks. Do you get the feeling that these lads have been seeing a few cop shows too many?
And to remind everyone that this is not a joke - Organized Crime and Mafia motorized squad.
No, it is not altogether a joke. Part of the profits of the new clothing line will go to the families of cops fallen in the struggle against mafia, organized crime and terrorism.