Traffic cops stepped in to stop chaos at Casamonica funeral

(ANSA) - Rome, August 21 - Police were forced to intervene on Rome's roads yesterday as the funeral of mafia boss Vittorio Casamonica caused traffic chaos in the capital, sources told ANSA on Friday.
    The first call into the municipal police came around 9.30am when the funeral procession, which included a horse-drawn carriage and tens of cars, began to block via Tuscolana. A patrol squad was sent to the scene before reinforcements were dispatched.
    "In 30 years of service I have never seen something like that," one police officer said. "We intervened to make sure they (the procession) kept on the right, to keep the traffic flowing. There was a risk of complete chaos throughout that area of the city. We preventively closed some roads and created diversions." The funeral procession continued for several kilometres, from the funeral parlour in Romanina to Cinecittà.
    There had been suggestions that traffic wardens had been posted to the area to make sure the funeral went smoothly, rather than reacting to the chaos it caused.