ROME - Italy's prime minister-elect Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants, saying those involved in crime were part of an "army of evil."
"We need to step up neighbourhood police who can be an army of good ... placing themselves between the Italian people and the army of evil," Berlusconi said in a telephone interview with Rai Uno television.
Berlusconi, elected with a solid margin on Monday, vowed to cooperate with Italy's neighbors in "deporting non-EU citizens who are here and do not have work or home and are forced into crime in order to live."
He added: "Microcrime (such as pickpocketing) is the hardest for our citizens because it especially afflicts the elderly and women."
The elections marked a breakthrough for Berlusconi's Northern League ally, which nearly doubled its strength in parliament, prompting fears that the small anti-immigration party will unduly influence his agenda.
Some human rights activists fear that the Northern League could use its position as a key part of Berlusconi's new government to push for strict anti-immigration laws.
gd/ach
04/15/2008 14:19 GMT