The Polizia di Stato is one of the national police forces of Italy. Alongside the Carabinieri, it is the main police force for providing police duties, primarily to cities and large towns, and with its child agencies it is also responsible for highway patrol (autostrade), railways (ferrovie), airports (aeroporti), customs as well as certain waterways, and assisting the local police forces.

Law enforcement in Italy is centralized on a national level, carried out by multiple national forces, helped by few limited local agencies. The Italian law enforcement system is considered complex, with multiple police forces and other agencies taking part in different duties. Policing in the Italian system refers to the duties of "full-powered officers" coming from the four national main forces: Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri, Polizia Penitenziaria and Guardia di Finanza. While the duties of these four corps' include investigating and arresting, other local forces carry out limited duties.